Firebird
by A. Joria
Summary: "Love will kill us all...but the Phoenix must burn to emerge." A brand new story collection. Minako-centric. Multiverse.
1. Burn to Emerge - Chapter One

**Author's Note: **Uh…hello again, friends. I'm…back? *awkward*

Well, first of all, I promise to actually FINISH this story collection. I've set myself some new writing goals and guidelines, which should help.

Secondly, this is going to be a story that focuses heavily on the concept of alternate universes. It's not an AU, but rather, we'll be talking about the theory of alternate universes within the story itself.

Atlus has already established that many, many different 'alternate universes' exist within the canon of the persona game series.

Before you start reading, let's establish this:

In this story, there **are AT LEAST** two separate and divergent canon universes.

The universe of Persona 3, in which Minato was the protagonist, and subsequently the events of the Arena games **DID** happen.

The universe of Persona 3 Portable, in which Minako was the protagonist, and subsequently the events of the Arena games **DID NOT** happen.

This story begins in the second universe, Minako's universe.

We'll actually mention/touch upon TONS of other alternate universes as the story proceeds, but let's start here. I think that's all the stuff you really need to k now. The rest we can learn as we go.

Thanks for your patience!

Sincerely,

Ari Moriarty

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**Firebird**

by Ari Moriarty

* * *

**First Story:**

**Burn to Emerge**

"_A Phoenix must burn to emerge." –_Janet Fitch

* * *

**Chapter One – March 5****th****, 2012**

Slowly, Mitsuru opened her eyes, only to be startled and blinded by a sea of brilliant blue.

_What is all this? Where…where am I? _

Frowning, she blinked a few times, took a deep breath, and tried to get her bearings.

_This room…I've seen it somewhere before, _she realized, gazing at the blue walls, the rich blue carpeting, and at the luxurious and expensive-looking blue sofa and large, round blue table in the center of the room.

_This interior decorator lacked imagination, _she thought idly as her mind did its level best to make sense of the surroundings. _Some other colors would have broken the monotony very nicely. Maybe some purple, or perhaps a white tablecloth…_

"Oh, you're awake," muttered a voice that Mitsuru hadn't heard in almost a year. "Good."

Turning towards the voice, Mitsuru found Akihiko Sanada standing a few inches away from her, dressed in his police cadet uniform, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet like a nervous boxer who'd just stepped into an unfamiliar ring.

"Akihiko," she murmured. "What…what are you doing here? I thought you were in the city, studying at the police academy."

Akihiko nodded curtly. "Yeah," he agreed, "I was, or…I still am, I think. It's been a long time, Mitsuru."

"It certainly has," she agreed confusedly. "You don't write."

"Sorry." He shrugged. "I've been busy. Anyway, we can talk about that later. Look around you. Do you know where we are?"

For a moment, Mitsuru continued to frown down at the carpet. Then, she nodded.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I do. We've been here before, many years ago. This place…is called 'the Velvet Room.'"

"Hah." Akihiko gave her a quick little smile. "Sharp as ever, huh? You never change. Yeah, that's right. This is the Velvet Room, or…at least, I'm pretty sure it is. Check out who else showed up to the party."

He gestured with one crooked finger over Mitsuru's shoulder, and she spun around to find several other people all standing and staring open-mouthed at the Velvet Room scenery.

"H-hey," mumbled Junpei, rubbing anxiously at the back of his head with one hand. "Senpai? Wha…? What the hell is going on here? Is this some kind of weird dream?"

"I…don't think so," murmured Fuuka, shaking her head." It doesn't feel like a dream. It seems much too real."

"Yeah, I agree." Yukari pursed her lips in thought. "Besides, isn't this sort of a weird conversation for us to be having in a dream? When you're dreaming, you never really know that you're doing it, right?"

"Um," interjected Ken hesitantly, "I don't know about that. I mean…I guess I don't exactly dream very much, but-!"

"Nah, of course you dream," interrupted Junpei. "Everybody dreams, Ken. You probably just don't remember 'em. Guess you're not having the kind of nightmares you'd remember. That's pretty cool. Me…I always have nightmares, and they're pretty much always about this creepy place, now that I think about it."

"I frequently dream of this place," added Aigis. "Although I did not possess the REM sleep capability until after I discovered my new power, I now find that I, too, am subject to nightmares. It is…one of the less pleasant things about awakening to a newfound humanity."

Mitsuru nodded. "I'll admit that these surroundings do call to mind some very unpleasant memories," she agreed. "Still, I believe we're all in agreement that this, at least, is not a dream."

"Tch," muttered someone from back in the shadows. "Great. Now that we've got that out of the way…what's next?"

Everyone turned to watch Shinjiro Aragaki slowly detaching himself from the Velvet Room wall, with Koromaru bounding happily along in front of him.

"Shinji," gasped Akihiko. "You…hey, are you okay?"

Shinjiro cleared his throat, coughed, and then gave Akihiko a lopsided grin that didn't quite hide the pained look on the rest of his face. "What kind of a dumb question is that? Is that all you've got to say to me after almost a year? Jeez, Aki, your manners are still shit."

"Shinjiro-senpai? Oh, man, am I glad to see you." Junpei grinned back at him. "I mean…when we didn't hear from you for a while, we sort of, uh…well, we kinda assumed-!"

"Shut up, Junpei!" Yukari turned on him, glaring. "How could you say something like that?"

"What?" Junpei held up both hands defensively in front of his face. "I haven't even said anything, yet!"

"WOOF!" Koromaru narrowed his eyes and barked at Junpei.

"Uh," muttered Junpei, "wait, are you agreeing with me, or with her? Who's side are you on, Koro-chan?"

"Hey, knock it off." Akihiko raised his voice. "This is no time for messing around. Can any of you explain what we're doing here?"

"Welcome," announced a quiet, not entirely unpleasant voice, "to the Velvet Room."

Again, the former members of SEES turned towards the sofa, and found that a hunched, elderly man was now inexplicably seated amidst the blue velvet cushions. He smiled at them, and even though it was a friendly smile, there was something inherently unnerving about it. Mitsuru felt a little chill slide down her spine, and Akihiko took an instinctive step closer to her.

"Oh," muttered Junpei. "Hey…wait, I remember you."

The old man nodded. "My name," he informed them, "is Igor. Many of us have met before, although…" Suddenly, he turned and shot a curious look at Shinjiro. "This is the first time that I have made the acquaintance of certain new guests."

"Uh," mumbled Shinjiro, raising an eyebrow and taking a step back. "Y-yeah…"

"This place," continued Igor, returning his attention to the rest of the group, "exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those who possess a certain potential may enter this room. You are not our very first guests, nor will you, I hope, be the last. I believe that you are all well-acquainted with one of our most well-remembered and unique guests."

"Minako-chan," whispered Fuuka.

The smile dropped off of Junpei's face, and he scowled and turned away. "Yeah," he mumbled. "This is where it all began, huh? If you look at it one way, everything that happened to her was pretty much all YOUR fault."

Again, Koromaru barked loudly.

"Junpei-kun," murmured Fuuka. "Please."

Mitsuru took a deep breath. "Why have you summoned us here? I was under the impression that the world was no longer in any grave danger from the shadows. We all believed, I think, that our work here was over, at least for the moment. Is there something else you wish to tell us?"

"Ah…." Igor smiled again, then steepled his fingers together and gazed around at each of them, looking extremely pleased. "As a matter of fact, I have summoned you here to offer you…something of an opportunity. A choice, if you will, to move forward towards a more desirable future, or to remain behind in the safer confines of the familiar past."

"Huh?" Junpei blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"A…more desirable future?" Yukari frowned. "I don't get it."

"I don't have time for riddles," muttered Shinjiro. "Haven't got the patience for 'em, either. Never have. Get to the point."

As if in response, a door suddenly materialized in the wall behind Igor's couch. Like the rest of the room, it, too, was bright blue, and a glowing light shone through the tiny keyhole.

"Through that door," intoned Igor, "lies a challenge, prepared by my Master. Your bonds will be tested with every step you take through the world that lies beyond that door. Should your bonds be torn asunder, your hope for the future will be forever lost. Should you prevail however, and should your bonds prove unshaken, you may find yourself rewarded with a new and much brighter future; complete with the one thing that you all have so desperately wanted for so long."

"More tests?" Yukari sighed. "Haven't we been through enough already? I don't want to play. Please…can't you just leave us alone?"

"But…the one thing that we want, more than anything else," mused Fuuka. "There's only one thing that could be, isn't there? Isn't there only one thing that we all really, really, want? One thing that we have in common, that we all wish we could have back?"

For a moment, they all stood and contemplated that in silence.

_A new future, _thought Mitsuru. _A brighter future…complete with the fulfillment of our one mutual wish. _

This time, it was Aigis who spoke the words aloud.

"Minako-chan," she whispered. "She is the one thing…isn't she? The one thing that we all love, and the one desire we all have in common. Is that assumption correct?"

"What?" Yukari stared at Igor. "Do you mean it? If we…if we succeed at whatever's behind that door, we can have Minako-chan back? Seriously?"

Igor just nodded once, but said nothing. Instead, he gestured dramatically at the large blue door.

For a long, horribly intense moment, no one said a word.

"I…I don't believe it," whispered Yukari shakily. "No, I just…I can't believe it."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko slowly, his eyes riveted on the almost infuriatingly innocuous look on Igor's face. "That's insane."

"It's impossible," insisted Yukari, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. "You're lying," she managed, glaring at Igor and dashing the tears away with the back of one angry hand. "You…you're horrible. How could you say such cruel things? We've spent YEARS wishing that we could have Minako back. I think about her all the time. We all still have nightmares about that day, about that year. It's not fair for you to make fun of us like this, to pretend that there's still some hope! There isn't any hope. We have to move on. We have to! I've been trying so hard!"

She sniffled loudly, and Fuuka placed a gentle hand on her arm.

"Yukari-chan," she whispered comfortingly. Yukari's shoulders were shaking.

"We have tried everything we could," murmured Mitsuru. "The Kirijo corporation has spent years researching, experimenting and searching for a way to create a substitute for the seal, but…I've finally accepted that such a thing isn't possible. It will never be possible. We have been forced to come to terms with that, difficult though it might be. This…this vision, this 'Velvet Room,' must be a dream after all. I'm dreaming, or perhaps we're all dreaming of a future that can never come to pass."

Fuuka let out a long sigh, and Akihiko mumbled something under his breath. Ken's shoulders slumped a little bit, and Akihiko reached out to put an encouraging arm around him.

"Just a dream," repeated Mitsuru sadly. "Nothing more. How unfortunate. I had almost begun to hope…"

"Or perhaps," interrupted Aigis thoughtfully, "this is a nightmare. To dream of something wonderful, and then to wake up and find that it wasn't real…would that be considered a nightmare?"

Mitsuru shot a quick look at Aigis, and there was a lost sort of faraway look on the android girl's face as she stared straight ahead of her at nothing at all.

"I have had more than one of those dreams," murmured Aigis. "This will not be the first. I assume it will not be the last."

"H-hey, whoa, hang on just a second!" Junpei's voice cut through the gloom that had begun to settle into the atmosphere around them like a blanket of disappointment. "What the hell happened to all of you? I don't get it. Yuka-tan, what are you crying for?"

"I…I just wasn't ready for this," muttered Yukari. "I'm sorry. I just…I'm so sick of being sad about it. I'm tired of being disappointed. I thought I was starting to move on, but-!"

"But nothing," interrupted Junpei, frowning. "Look, if this is just a dream, then it'll suck, sure, but we won't find out until we try! We open that door, we go to the other side, we do whatever we've gotta do, and if turns out to be nothing, oh well, but at least we tried. I mean…didn't we all agree that this felt way too weird and real to be a dream? What if it's the real thing? This might be our chance to rescue Mina-tan and set everything right again. What can we possibly lose? Come on, snap out of it!"

He glared expectantly around at the others, who all stared back at him, apparently at a temporary loss for words.

"I don't want to deal with any more disappointment," muttered Yukari.

Junpei shrugged. "Well that's tough, but you might have to. Life's all about disappointment, right? That's just the way it is."

"Hah," muttered Shinjiro. "You got that right. When did you suddenly become the voice of reason? I really have been out of things a long time, I guess."

"Junpei-kun," murmured Aigis, "Igor-san claims that whatever is on the other side of that door is extremely dangerous. If I recall correctly, it might cause our 'future to be forever lost' if we fail."

"Yeah, so?" Again, Junpei shook his head. "If it's just a dream, then we'll just wake up and everything'll be back to normal. If it's not a dream, then who the hell cares about a little danger? I mean, isn't it worth it? Just imagine how great it's gonna be when she walks back through that door with a big grin on her face, all proud of us for taking the lead and being the heroes, for once? You know she'd do the same for us. Come on. You're not telling you're scared, are you? Who's chicken? I dare you to admit it."

Again, he glanced around, challenging each of them in turn, and this time no one managed to meet his eyes.

"I…am impressed, Iori," murmured Mitsuru. "That was quite the inspirational speech."

Junpei gave her a half-grin. "Yeah, well, I learned from a real pro," he admitted. "Anyway, are you in, or are you out? Who's doing this with me, because I'm going."

He turned and marched off towards the blue door that Igor had indicated, only to discover that Shinjiro was already leaning against the wall next to it, looking bored.

"Are you done talking?" Shinjiro rolled his eyes. "Can we go, now?"

"Huh? Senpai, you're coming?" Junpei bit his lip and frowned. "But, uh, aren't you…? I mean, you're kind, of um…are you sure you can handle it?"

Shinjiro glared at him. "I'll be fine," he muttered. "Besides, I'm already dying. There's not too much left for me to lose, so I'll risk it."

"Damnit, Shinji," snapped Akihiko, looking pained." How many times do I have to tell you, you're not-!"

"We're all dying," interrupted Shinjiro, shrugging. "Some of us a little faster than others, I guess. Hey, Junpei, you coming or not?"

With that, Shinjiro reached for the door. Suddenly, a small, shining golden key appeared in his hand, and he took just a moment to glance down at it in surprise before shaking his head and inserting the key into the lock. The door clicked and swung open in front of him, and without a backward glance Shinjiro strode through and disappeared on the other side.

"Whoa, uh, senpai, wait for me! Hang on, don't go alone!" Junpei hurried to follow Shinjiro through the door, and Koromaru enthusiastically bounded in after them.

"Shinji!" Akihiko called out after then, then let out a short, frustrated breath, and shook his head. "What is with that guy? If there are shadows in there, all he's gonna manage to do is get himself killed. Aw, hell."

Akihiko hurried through the door.

"W-wait, Sanada-san!" Ken rushed to join him. "Wait for me!"

Once they were gone, Yukari let out a long, frustrated sigh, and shook her head.

"Yukari-chan," murmured Fuuka.

Yukari sniffled, then nodded firmly.

"Junpei's right," she mumbled. "I'm being stupid. Come on, Fuuka. Maybe, just maybe she's waiting for us in there. Let's go look and see, okay? I have to be brave. I can't give up before we've even started. Dad and Minako would hate it if I did that. I'd never be able to face them again."

Taking Fuuka firmly by the hand, Yukari strode through the door, with Fuuka trailing quickly along behind her. Soon, Mitsuru and Aigis were left all alone with Igor, still standing and gazing at the door.

"I can't help it," murmured Mitsuru. "I…something about this just doesn't seem right. I have a terrible feeling about this, Aigis. It can't possibly be this easy."

Aigis nodded. "I agree…but it seems that we have no choice. We must join the others immediately."

"And…you're comfortable with that?" Mitsuru frowned. "Are you certain?"

"Yes," replied Aigis. "My greatest fear for many years now has been that I will someday be forced to suffer the loss of another comrade. It is the terrifying source of all of my nightmares. I would be, I think, unable to bear it. If I am to ensure that all of you return safely from whatever ordeal awaits us behind that door, then of course I must accompany you and face the dangers alongside you all. That is my duty, and it is, I'm certain, the reason for the powers that I've been given. Naturally, I am going in."

"I see." Mitsuru nodded. "Well, then…in that case, shall we go in together?"

Side by side, they approached the blue, glowing door.

"Stay on your guard," Mitsuru admonished Aigis before stepping over the threshold. "We have no idea what might be inside, and something tells me we won't like whatever we find."

"Understood," murmured Aigis, as they strode through together.

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note:**

So, why is the story called **Firebird? **

The Firebird was a famous creature from Russian folklore; the flighty, constantly out-of-reach reason for a great quest or journey. "Firebird" is also another name for the Phoenix, a bird that dies and then rises from its own ashes to be reborn again.

This story is, first and foremost, about Minako, the focus of a great quest, and rising from the ashes.

And there you have it, friends.


	2. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Two

**Author's Note: **You'll never believe this, but I managed to get ALL of my grad school work for the weekend done in three hours. I…I must have missed/forgotten something, because that's insane, but it does mean that I can update again today! Huzzah!

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Junpei hurriedly followed Shinjiro through the door, only to discover an eerily familiar scene on the other side.

"Hey," he said, frowning. "This place, uh…it kinda looks like Tartarus, right?"

The walls and floors were that very same shade of sickly purple, crooked and twisted with lumps and hills in unexpected places, as though the entire room had been built on the uneven wreckage of some old structure. The room was cold, too, with a heaviness hanging in the chilly air, just like the uneasy atmosphere within the walls of Tartarus.

Shinjiro was already standing in the center of the room.

"Sure brings back memories," he muttered. "Nothing I'd care to remember, either."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "You can say that again. Don't tell me that we're gonna have to climb that creepy tower all over again. I mean, I'm down, just like I said, but…ugh, I think I've seen enough of Tartarus for one, no, maybe two or three lifetimes."

From behind Junpei, someone cleared his throat politely. Junpei and Shinjiro both spun around to see a tall, pale-skinned man with perfectly chiseled features and almost white-blond hair, dressed in a weird sort of retro-style suit that was just as brilliantly blue as the Velvet Room carpet.

"Forgive me," he murmured, frowning slightly. "Is the scenery not to your liking? I had intended to prepare something to which you'd already become accustomed, in hopes that you'd be more comfortable in a familiar environment."

"Uh, comfortable? Wait, are you serious?" Junpei's jaw dropped. "Who the hell would be 'comfortable' in a place like Tartarus? This all just gives me the creeps, man."

"Again," insisted the blond man, bowing slightly from the waist, "please accept my sincerest apologies. I seem to have misjudged the situation. How unfortunate."

Shinjiro narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"Ah, yes," replied the blond man, nodding. "Of course, we haven't been properly introduced. My name is Theodore. I am an avatar of power, although you are welcome to consider me more of a caretaker of this place. Yes…that concept might better suit your human world. I have been assigned the task of guiding you through the trials that you must face on your upcoming journey. You are, of course, all my honored guests. It is a pleasure to meet each one of you."

He smiled over Junpei's shoulder, and Junpei glanced back to see that the rest of the former members of SEES had now joined them in the Tartarus-shaped room.

"Trials?" Yukari bit her lip. "Um, what kind of trials? What exactly are we supposed to do, here?"

"If we're gearing up to fight some shadows," muttered Akihiko, "then you can count me in. I'm ready. It's been a while since I've been in a good fight, anyway. I could probably use the practice."

Theodore smiled and nodded. "Oh, yes, there will definitely be fighting," he assured them. "After all, you are very skilled combatants, are you not? Your friend, our most treasured guest always spoke very highly of you."

Ken looked surprised. "Wait," he said, "you know Minako-san, too?"

"Of course," agreed Theodore. "I had the privilege of becoming quite intimate with that particular guest. It was a most eye-opening and enlightening experience for me, I can assure you."

"Wha…WHAT?" Shinjiro gaped. "What the hell are you saying?"

"I-intimate," murmured Fuuka, her cheeks going pink. "I, um…I had no idea."

"Oh, please, excuse my whimsical turn of phrase," insisted Theodore, holding both arms placatingly out in front of him. "I only meant that she and I became quite close, and learned a good deal about one another. I have not had the opportunity to bond with any of our other guests. There is, you see, no cause for alarm."

Even as Theodore said the words, though, Junpei thought he saw something sort of weird in Theodore's face. It might have been a flash of sadness, or something that looked like loneliness. Junpei blinked, and instantly Theodore was smiling brightly again, leaving Junpei wondering if he'd just imagined the whole thing.

"In any case," continued Theodore, "your task here is very simple. You will fight a series of battles, each one of them slightly harder than the last. Of course, they should be nothing more than child's play for seasoned fighters such as yourselves. Once you have defeated all of the enemies, the door to the next room will open, and you will be free to pass through, unhindered."

As he spoke, Theodore gestured to another blue and glowing door on the far wall.

"Your goal," he went on, "is to pass safely through each of the five doors, and to reach the top of the tower. If you succeed in climbing to the fifth floor, your friend will be returned to you, safe and perfectly sound. Please be aware, however, , that the doors will only open once all enemies have been defeated. If, for whatever reason, you choose not to defeat an enemy, you will be unable to proceed any farther and you will be forced to abandon your quest. Have I made it all clear?"

Junpei glanced around at the others, all of whom looked as confused as he did.

"Uh," he asked, "is that it? That's all we gotta do? Just fight a few enemies and not get killed?"

"No problem," muttered Akihiko. "This'll be a piece of cake."

Junpei noticed that Akihiko shot a quick, worried look at Shinjiro as he spoke, though. Now that Junpei was really looking at him he realized that Akihiko didn't look nearly as confident as he sounded.

"Don't be fooled, any of you, " cautioned Mitsuru. "We must remain alert at all times. This only seems straightforward. There is, of course, something that we haven't been told, and that we won't be expecting. Isn't that right, Theodore?"

Theodore just continued to smile pleasantly at her. "Of course," he agreed. "It wouldn't be fun if I gave you all the answers, would it?"

"Ugh," muttered Junpei, "No way, man. Nothing wrong with a good cheat sheet. How come we never get the easy ones?"

"I am prepared," murmured Theodore, "to re-open the door behind you, now, if any of you would prefer to turn back. Know that once you decide to embark on this quest, you will no longer be able to return to the Velvet Room. Your only recourse, once you've begun, is to complete your mission, or to accept defeat. Do you understand?"

A couple of people took a quick look over their shoulders at the door they'd just walked through.

"It might not take all of us to do this," muttered Akihiko. "If some of you want to go back, I don't think anybody'd blame you."

Shinjiro snorted a derisive little laugh, but said nothing. Akihiko looked frustrated, but didn't push the subject again.

"No," insisted Aigis, shaking her head. "If we are going to do this, then we must do it all together. There is no other safe way. We are a team. I would feel better if you permitted me to remain by all of your sides until our quest is complete."

"Aigis," began Yukari, obviously touched.

"Yeah," agreed Ken unexpectedly. "Yeah, Aigis is right! We're all in this together! Don't worry, guys…I won't let you down! I promise. And…I won't let Minako-san down, either. Not again."

Koromaru barked in enthusiastic agreement, and then rushed over to stand proudly at Ken's side. Shinjiro grinned.

"Well," he muttered, "I guess it's decided then. Bring it on."

He turned to Theodore, who nodded, and then waved a long, white-fingered hand at the nearby wall. Yet another blue, shining door materialized in that wall.

"Very well," announced Theodore, looking pleased. "Since you are so staunchly determined to continue, I shall have the privilege of splitting you into two groups. The first group shall pass with me through the first door, and the second group shall join my sister behind the second door."

As he spoke, the newly-materialized door swung open, and an equally tall, equally beautiful blond woman stepped out. She, too had short blond hair, a strange, bright-blue suit, and an almost manically enthusiastic look on her face that instantly made Junpei just a little bit more uncomfortable.

"Allow me to introduce my sister, Elizabeth," announced Theodore. "She will be guiding the other half of you through your ordeal."

"Pleased to meet you," said Elizabeth, grinning around at all of them and bobbing her own, slightly bouncier little bow.

"Wait…we're splitting up?" Junpei shook his head hastily. "No way, man. Didn't we just agree that we were doing this together?"

"I don't like this," murmured Mitsuru unhappily. Already, we're beginning our battles at half-strength. This isn't good."

"You may, of course, choose your own teams," announced Theodore benevolently. "Please, have no fear. You will see each other again very soon, I assure you."

He took a step back, and looked on for a long moment while the various former SEES members stared dumbly at each other, all obviously worried.

"Okay," sighed Akihiko eventually, shrugging and crossing over to stand next to Shinjiro. "In that case, I guess it'll be you and me, Shinji. Just like old times, huh?"

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you go and babysit someone else for a change?"

Akihiko grimaced, but didn't budge.

"Very well," murmured Mitsuru, taking a step forward and moving to the space a few feet across from where Akihiko and Shinjiro were standing. "In that case, I shall begin the second team. It's probably a good idea for Akihiko and I to be on separate teams, since we both have some leadership experience."

Akihiko nodded. "Yeah, I agree."

"Takeba," she remarked, "might I suggest that you join Akihiko's team? Your persona and mine have some similar abilities, and we are both able to use support skills, although yours are far superior to mine."

She shot Shinjiro a significant look, and Yukari hastily nodded and hurried over to stand beside him.

"No problem," she said. "I've got everything under control on this side, senpai."

Shinjiro just scowled and turned away.

"Um…if you don't mind, then," said Ken, raising his hand and taking a hesitant step forward, "can I be on your team, Mitsuru-senpai? I'm…pretty good when it comes to light and dark skills, and I'm not too bad at healing either."

Mitsuru looked surprised. "Of course, Amada, we'd be delighted to have you, but…I'm surprised. I thought you'd want to join Akihiko's team."

"Um, well…" Ken frowned. "I mean, sure, fighting alongside Sanada-san is always great, but…I thought maybe you could use a man on your team."

He puffed out his chest and did his best to as tall and masculine as he could. Yukari noticeably stifled a laugh, and Fuuka shushed her.

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko, reaching out to clap Ken on the shoulder. "Go for it, Ken. I know I'll feel a lot better with you to watch Mitsuru's back."

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Akihiko? Are you doubting my ability to handle myself in a fight?"

"What?" Akihiko blinked. "No, of course not. That's not what I-!"

"WOOF!" Koromaru bounded forward, stood on his hind legs and licked Ken soundly in the face.

"Ack," mumbled Ken, steadying himself against Mitsuru's shoulder and grinning. "Hey, Koro-chan, knock it off!"

"It looks like Koro-chan has picked his team," noted Fuuka, smiling.

"Uh, well, in that case," announced Junpei, walking over to stand next to Yukari, "I guess I'm on this side. Koromaru's already a pretty intense brawler, so that team probably doesn't need another physical-type persona. I'll be better off with you guys."

"Welcome aboard," said Yukari, giving Junpei an unusually warm and friendly smile. "This really is just like old times, isn't it?"

"Aigis-san," called Ken, "um, do you want to come over to our side? It looks like we have one less person than they do, so…"

"Understood," murmured Aigis, crossing to join Ken and Mitsuru's team. "I am looking forward to fighting at your sides again."

Junpei took a quick look around. On one side of the room were Akihiko, Shinjiro, Yukari and himself, while on the other side stood Mitsuru, Koromaru, Ken and Aigis.

"Um…then I guess that just leaves me," said Fuuka, standing all alone and looking slightly uncomfortable. "I'm the extra person."

"Indeed," murmured Mitsuru. "This poses a problem. Whichever side lacks Yamagishi's support will be at a decided disadvantage. Perhaps she should accompany the weaker of the two teams."

"Yeah?" Junpei snorted a laugh. "So, who wants to admit to being on the weaker team?"

Nobody said a word, but Shinjiro chuckled nastily under his breath.

"Right," said Junpei. "That's what I thought."

Akihiko sighed.

"I do not understand the problem," announced Aigis. "It seems to me that it would be much better for Fuuka-san to remain here. She and her persona will then be able to support both teams at the same time without risking combat casualty."

Mitsuru and Akihiko exchanged a quick look.

"Yeah," mumbled Akihiko. "That's not a bad idea, Aigis."

"Yamagishi," asked Mitsuru, "is that arrangement all right with you?"

Fuuka looked up uncertainly into Theodore's still placidly smiling face, bit her lip, and then slowly nodded.

"Um…sure," she said. "Yeah, it's probably best if I stay out of your way. I'm no good in a fight, but I can probably be much more useful from here. This way, I'll know how all of you are doing at the same time. I think I'll worry a lot less, in that case."

"All right." Mitsuru nodded. "Yamagishi, if you find that you need any assistance, contact us immediately. Is that understood?"

"Yes," agreed Fuuka quickly. "I will."

"Uh…are we even going to be able to get back here?" Junpei chewed on his lip. "That Theodore guy said that once we go in there, there's pretty much only way to get back out, right? So…"

"I'll be fine," insisted Fuuka, smiling. "Just go! Please. I'll be waiting for you here."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko. "We'll bring Minako back to you, Fuuka. I bet she'll be thrilled to see you again."

Mitsuru turned to face Theodore.

"It seems that we're ready," she informed him.

"Very well." Theodore nodded at Elizabeth, and Elizabeth turned and strode through the door behind her.

"Right this way, please," she called as she disappeared. "Watch your step!"

Mitsuru took a deep breath.

"Fight hard, all of you," she said to Akihiko's team. "Stay safe. I'll see you again very soon."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko. "Same to you guys."

With that, Mitsuru turned and strode purposefully through the open door after Elizabeth. Ken, Koromaru, and Aigis followed slowly after her, and the door shut behind them.

"Well," announced Theodore into the strange, uneasy silence that lingered after they'd gone. "In that case, let us begin!"

He stepped to the door on the far wall, and pulled it open.

_Oh boy, _thought Junpei. _Here we go again…_

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End note:**

Well, yes, depending on what party members you prefer and how you like to play the game, one of these teams is stronger than the other. Let's not quibble about it, shall we? ;) You know who you are…


	3. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **I shouldn't really be writing, today. I've got dress rehearsals pretty much all day, but we're gonna go ahead and see if I can get a chapter out, anyway. Doesn't take that long, so it shouldn't be impossible, right?

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Akihiko, Junpei, Shinjiro and Yukari followed Theodore into the next room.

"What the…?" Akihiko stopped and stared. "What happened to Tartarus?"

The room they were standing in no longer resembled the strangely colored and perversely twisted landscape of the Tartarus tower. This was another familiar place, much quieter and calmer, complete with a large grey desk at one end of the room, and several smaller grey desks lined up in rows all facing the front. There was even an apple and a tiny piece of pink cake sitting on the larger desk, and the bookshelf up against the wall was apparently filled with what looked like large, imposing math and science textbooks.

"Oh crap," muttered Junpei. "My worst nightmares are all coming true. I promised myself that after I graduated, I'd never, never go back to my old school."

Theodore sighed. "Again, I seem to have failed to please. I had only hoped to create an atmosphere that would make you feel more at ease."

"Uh…yeah, no," muttered Junpei. "You don't really, uh, get the human world, do you? Classrooms aren't easy places. They're hellish torture chambers where all fun goes to die."

"Huh." Shinjiro gave the room a cursory glance. "So, I'm guessing this is what your old classroom looked like?"

"What? Um, yeah. They all looked like this." Junpei looked startled. "Do you seriously not know? Wait, did you EVER show up for class back then?"

Shinjiro shrugged. "Yeah, a few times. I was…a little busy. It's not like I was gonna graduate, or anything."

"R-right," mumbled Junpei. "Uh, no judgment, senpai, I just-!"

"Guys," called Yukari sharply, cutting through whatever Junpei had been about to finish saying. "Look over there!"

They all turned in the direction that Yukari was pointing, and saw that four shapes had just begun to materialize out of the shadows behind the bookcase.

"Hey," announced Akihiko. "Knock it off, guys. We've got company."

The four shadows finished forming; tall, spindly, strangely humanoid, with spiked armor jutting out of their heads, elbows and knees. There were no visible eyes in their heads, and yet they could obviously see well enough to start advancing slowly on Akihiko and the others.

"Time for the first bout," muttered Akihiko, crouching down into his fighting stance and bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet, preparing for the attack. "Is everyone ready?"

"Um…senpai," said Yukari hesitantly, "doesn't something seem sort of weird about this? Those shadows…they're acting sort of strange. Don't shadows usually just attack right away? How come these are being so carful? It's almost like they're afraid of us."

"They're sizing us up," replied Akihiko. "They're taking their time to figure out what we're made of. We can use that to our advantage and attack first. Come on, let's go!"

Pulling his evoker out of his hip pocket in one swift movement, he held it to his temple and fired hard into the side of his head.

"Caesar," he hissed. "It's time!"

His head swam and his brain burned as Caesar, the manifestation of his inner truth shot out of him and materialized just a foot or so in front of where he stood, his head held high and his sword poised to strike.

"Maziodyne," he shouted, and multiple fierce bolts of lightning shot out of Caesar, zapping straight into the chests of each of the four shadows. Three of the shadows stopped in their tracks, startled and guarded, but apparently unharmed. The fourth shadow, however, reeled back, shook itself, and then toppled backwards onto the floor, clearly winded.

"Nice, senpai," shouted Junpei."You got one!"

"Yeah, but…" Akihiko frowned. "Did I miss the rest of them?"

"No," muttered Shinjiro."You hit all four. They're different types, apparently."

"Huh? Yukari blinked. "But, they all look the same! I don't see any differences in their coloring, or in the way they move. They have to be the same type!"

"Tch." Shinjiro shook his head. "They don't have to be anything. We're probably playing by different rules than the ones we're used to. Mitsuru was right – don't make assumptions, and don't let your guard down. We don't know what to expect, here."

"Uh…let's just try to win this quick," mumbled Junpei.

Shinjiro shot him a look. "Hey, be my guest. You're next."

"Me? Sure, okay." Junpei nodded, then took a step forward, his persona Trismegistus sailing along beside him. "Here we go, then," he announced, nodding and grinning at the group of shadows. "Let's see how you deal with the Iori inferno! Trismegistus, agidyne!"

Flames tumbled forth from Junpei's persona, engulfing the very first of the shadows in a fiery blaze. The shadow clutched at its face, then toppled backwards to the ground and sat there for a moment, dazed and swaying.

"Nice!" Junpei pumped one fist enthusiastically into the air. "I got him!"

"Lucky break," muttered Shinjiro. "Looks like that one's weak to fire."

"Yeah, and I bet the other two are weak to wind and ice," insisted Junpei." Four main elements, and four big, ugly shadows. This is gonna end up being way easier than we thought."

"Um, I'm not so sure about that." Yukari bit her lip. "Somehow, I don't think it's that simple."

"Only one way to find out," said Akihiko. "It's your turn, Yukari."

"Oh, um, okay!" Yukari nodded, took a deep breath, and then turned to look at her persona, Isis, which was hovering just a foot or so in front of her, shielding her from the shadows. "Isis, let's try-!"

Before she had a chance to finish the sentence, however, one of the shadows moved. It bounded straight for them, bowling into Shinjiro and knocking him backward several paces. He winced and staggered, muttering something under his breath and clutching at his chest.

"Shinji!" Akihiko instantly stepped in front of Shinjiro to block any further attacks. The shadow, however, apparently done for the moment, turned and rushed back to join the ranks of its fellows.

"Hey, Shinji," repeated Akihiko, "are you okay? Where'd it get you?"

Shinjiro irritably pushed him away. "I'm fine, damnit," he muttered. "Leave me alone."

"Um…senpai," began Yukari hesitantly.

"I said shut up," snapped Shinjiro, turning away. "Just get on with your attack."

Akihiko could see that Shinjiro was still holding his chest, and he took a deep breath, trying to force himself to keep his head in the game.

_He shouldn't even be here, _he thought angrily to himself. _I should never have let him come along. He's too much a stubborn ass to see reason, but we could have stopped him if we'd all really tried. I'm not going to risk losing him again. She wouldn't want that, anyway, even if means that we fail. But, if we fail, then-!_

On the other side of the room, one of the shadows was in the process of casting a healing spell on another of its comrades.

"Oh, man," said Junpei. "They can heal each other? I hate it when they can do that."

"They're obviously more intelligent than typical shadows," replied Akihiko. "Yukari?"

"Right!" Yukari held up a hand, gesturing to Isis. "Isis, do Magarudyne!"

A gust of wind left Isis's fingertips and began to swirl around the four shadows. A couple of them winced, but none of them staggered, and all four were still standing when the wind died away.

"Oh…I guess wind isn't so effective." Yukari looked frustrated. "Sorry, Junpei, but I guess you were wrong…again."

"Huh? Again? Hey, it was just an educated guess," insisted Junpei defensively. "I mean, it made sense when I said it, right?"

One of the shadows raised a h and, and ice began to form around its long, creepy fingertips.

"Incoming," muttered Shinjiro. "Everybody, get out of the way."

The battle continued to rage on for quite a while after that. Akihiko wasn't really conscious of the flow of time, too busy focusing on the barrage of attacks that the shadows began lobbing against him and his friends in deadly earnest. Yukari went down under some sort of light-based attack from the shadows, but Junpei managed to revive her and to get her back in the game with some healing items he had inexplicably in stashed in his back pocket. Akihiko managed to seriously wound one of them with lightning, but Junpei took a bad blow to the head from a strike attack and a couple of ice blasts from the shadow that seemed to be acting as the leader.

Despite everyone's best efforts, Shinjiro had suffered a few bad blows of his own, and now the entire team was struggling to fend off the shadows with their best and most powerful attacks while trying to shield Shinjiro from any further harm at the same time. That was taking a toll on their attack strategy, and even though it looked as though the shadows were beginning to significantly weaken, Akihiko was worried that he and his team wouldn't be able to keep this up for a lot longer.

_I wonder how the other guys are doing, _he thought. _Hopefully they're having an easier time than we are. At least all of their members are in fighting form. _

"Fuuka," he called, taking a deep breath and trying to focus what was left of his mental energy on contacting their support. "Can you hear me?"

_I…yea-!_

Vaguely, Akihiko could hear Fuuka's voice in his head, although he couldn't quite make out what she was trying to say.

"Hey," he asked her, "how are the others doing? Did you manage to get in touch with them?"

For a long moment, there was silence in Akihiko's mind. Then, Fuuka spoke up again, her voice broken and barely audible, as though she was trying to be heard over a damaged telephone line.

_Senpai-! The others…STOP! They-! Not what we…! Everyone is…fighting! Please, you-! _

"Damnit," muttered Akihiko. "I can't make it out. There must be some sort of barrier between her and us, keeping us from communicating. We should have brought her with us after all…"

"Hey, senpai! Look out!" Junpei dodged suddenly in front of Akihiko, intercepting a stream of ice bullets and grunting in pain as they struck him in the shoulder. "Agh, that hurts!"

Akihiko gritted his teeth. "Something's wrong with Fuuka," he called to the others. "We have to finish this, now!"

"Thought you'd never ask," muttered Shinjiro. "All right, Castor…let's do this. We're all going to hell – I'm taking all you assholes with me."

Shoving Junpei unceremoniously out of the way, Shinjiro and his persona, Castor moved forward and stared down the shadows. Shinjiro clenched both fists around his axe, probably to steady himself, and Castor rocked the entire team of shadows with a huge, critical, striking blow that laid them all flat on their backs.

"Nice," mumbled Akihiko. "Okay, so-!"

"Ooh, hey, let me do it, senpai!" Junpei rushed forward, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a ball or capsule of some vaguely purple substance that Akihiko didn't immediately recognize.

"Check this out," announced Junpei. "This is really cool!"

He threw the capsule as hard as he could at the enemy ranks. As it soared over top of them, it suddenly exploded, showering all of the shadows with a thick, greenish-purple mist. The shadows stopped, then all began to sway and rock until they all finally lay still, prone on their backs on the ground.

For a long moment, nobody moved. Akihiko was uncomfortably conscious of the sound of Shinjiro's labored breathing not more than a foot away.

"Is…is it over?" Yukari still her bow pointed directly at the leading shadow. "Are they dead?"

"Uh, I dunno," mumbled Junpei. "They're still there. Shadows are supposed to explode when we beat them, right? So…?"

"I already said it; these aren't like ordinary shadows," retorted Shinjiro." Junpei…what was that purple stuff, anyway?"

"Huh? This? Oh, this stuff is great." Junpei grinned, and pulled another one of the purple capsules out of his pocket. "Mitsuru-senpai gave me this stuff. The Kirijo lab scientists only finished testing it, like, maybe two weeks ago. It' called 'Poisma Mist,' and it works like a poison skill, only it's an attack item. Pretty cool, right? All those shadows are now totally poisoned. If they aren't dead yet, then they will be in a couple hours! Who's the man, huh?"

"Let me see that," said Akihiko, reaching for the Poisma Mist.

"Hey," declared Yukari suddenly, "they definitely aren't dead. That one's still breathing!"

"They all are," agreed Shinjiro. "Forget this poison stuff. Let's put them out of their misery, right here, right now."

He raised his hammer and started forward.

A desperate voice suddenly sounded in Akihiko's head. _No, senpai! We-! The others-! Please! Don't-!"_

"There's no need for anything like that," said Theodore, suddenly appearing at Shinjiro's side and placing a gentle hand on his upraised arm. "You have already successfully defeated the shadows, and the pathway will soon be open to you. Well done, all."

He smiled, but now Akihiko was sure that was something very strange about that smile. It wasn't a happy smile. Something about it actually seemed kinda sad.

"What about the others," he demanded. "Did they make it through okay?"

Theodore's mouth opened, then closed again, and he sighed. For a long moment, he said nothing.

"Are you certain that you wish to know the answer to that question?" He gave Akihiko a long, searching look.

"Huh? Of course we want to know." Junpei stared at him. "Why, is it bad? There's no way they got taken down by a group of shadows like that, right? No way, not our Mitsuru-senpai, and Aigis. Kormaru's a match for any shadow, and Ken's the bravest little toaster I've ever met! I'm not buying it."

"Please…tell us they're okay," whispered Yukari. "They made it, right? They must all still be alive…"

A terrible, cold, clenching hand had taken hold of Akihiko's chest. _Fuuka was trying to tell me something about the others, _he realized. _They aren't…there's no way that they got defeated that quickly, is there? Maybe the shadows they faced weren't the same as ours, but…still-!_

"Very well." Theodore sighed. "It pains me very much to have to show you this, but it was my Master's decree that you be granted every request within my power. Here, then, are your friends."

Theodore turned and waved a hand over the fallen shadows. Almost as soon as he'd done so, Akihiko felt as though a strange, invisible mist had been lifted from his eyes, and all of a sudden the four figures lying on the ground weren't creepy, alien-like shadows anymore.

"Oh my god," shrieked Yukari, dropping her bow to the ground with a clatter.

Lying on the cold classroom floor where the shadows had been only moments before were the unconscious, bruised and battered bodies of Mitsuru, Aigis, Ken and Koromaru, all breathing shallowly and unevenly, some of their wounds still actively bleeding out onto the floor.

"This…this isn't happening," mumbled Junpei, his eyes wide "What the hell is this supposed to mean?"

"If it makes you feel any better," murmured Theodore placatingly, "they also believed themselves to be fighting a group of four strong shadows. They had no idea whatsoever that they were attacking their own comrades. They had no malicious intent towards any of you."

"We were all fooled," whispered Yukari. "How…how horrible…"

She suddenly turned and glared daggers up at Theodore.

"Why," she demanded desperately. "Why would you do something like this? What was the point?"

Theodore only shrugged his shoulders and gave her a sad little smile. "I have only executed the wishes of my Master. He, in turn, only carries out the commands of his Master. It is not our place to question our duty. The hand of fate holds sway upon us all."

"But," insisted Yukari furiously, "that's not an answer, and it's not good enough. You can't just-!"

At that moment, the door they'd first entered through burst open, and Fuuka appeared, running full-tilt towards the prone figures on the ground.

"Oh…oh no," she whispered, shaking her head. "Oh, please, no…this can't be!"

Akihiko watched in stunned silence as Fuuka hurried over and knelt down next to Ken's body. She felt for a pulse, then did the same with each of the others.

"They're still alive," she breathed in intense relief. "Thank god…"

"You knew, huh?" Shinjiro, too, was staring down at the bodies, stone-faced.

"I tried to warn you," insisted Fuuka. "Senpai, I tried to tell you, but-!"

"It's not your fault," mumbled Akihiko, through and around his desperate, miserable thoughts. "I couldn't hear you. Something was interfering with the signal. I know that you tried."

"I realized almost immediately that you were fighting each other," continued Fuuka helplessly. "Every time I felt you attack, I felt them take the damage. It didn't take long to figure out what was going on, but I couldn't reach you! All of the doors were locked, and there was no way out of that little room! I pulled, and I pushed, and I tried to use my persona to get through, but…in the end, there was nothing I could do. I was…completely useless. I'm so sorry, senpai. I've failed you all."

Clearly distraught, Fuuka buried her face in both hands.

"Goddamnit," whispered Junpei, slamming one fist angrily into the wall behind him. "What the hell?"

"We…we have to do something," managed Yukari, sniffling hard. "They've been poisoned, so…here."

She stepped forward, and Isis glided in front of her.

"Mediaraha-!" She began, but Theodore shook his head.

"I'm afraid I cannot permit you to do that," he interrupted gently. "It is not allowed to heal your opponent during battle."

"But-!" Yukari looked up at him in alarm. "If we don't do something, they're going to die! If you won't let me heal them, then please, help us get them out of here!"

Again, Theodore frowned. "I'm afraid I cannot allow that, either," he said. "Do you remember what I said before? The rule is that no one who enters this room can leave until the mission is complete. Now that you have begun your quest, there is no turning back…for any of you."

Akihiko was now certain that he saw some doubt in Theodore's face, and for just a moment he wondered how strong Igor's hold really was over this 'caretaker.'

_I don't think he really wants to do this, _thought Akihiko. _Maybe, just maybe I can reason with him._

"There is no point in attempting to convince me," murmured Theodore, as though he'd been reading Akihiko's thoughts. "My purpose is clearly fixed. I shall not budge from my intended path, no matter how painful this may become for either of us. Please, forgive me."

Akihiko gritted his teeth in frustration.

"All right," said Shinjiro suddenly. "Then I guess we got no other choice."

"What?" Akihiko turned and stared at Shinjiro. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Shinjiro shrugged. "We have to finish this, fast. The sooner we get done with this game, the sooner we can all leave and get some help. Let's go."

Without waiting for a response from the others, Shinjiro turned and headed for the door that had appeared in the far wall. It was still shut, and he glanced over his shoulder at Theodore, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," he demanded. "What's next?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Got it done!

I'll admit, this chapter was heavily inspired by some other videogames that I have recently played. It's fanfiction, and therefore I shall feel no shame.


	4. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Four

**Authors Note: **Happy Thanksgiving to all of my beautiful and brilliant readers! Oh, and happy GAME RELEASE DAY!

I have the game in my hand. Well, okay, it was in my hand. Now it's sitting on the bed next to me, but I digress.

It may be a couple of days before I update again. Just saying. In the meantime, here's a chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Yukari stuck close to the others as Theodore led them through another door, and up a curved flight of stairs into a room that looked far too much like the deserted first floor of the Paulownia shopping mall in downtown Iwatodai.

"Figures," muttered Junpei. "I guess this is a little better, at least. Nothing scary about the mall…unless you count all the Lost we used to see hanging out around here at night. Still, we're sorta making progress."

Yukari wasn't convinced. Her body and mind were both completely on the alert, and she was so on edge that she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She kept glancing quickly back over her shoulder, certain that at any moment something horrible might come crawling out of the wall to attack them.

She could still see the hollow looks on the faces of her fallen comrades; hear Mitsuru, Ken, Aigis and Koromaru's shallow and desperate breathing as they lay there on the ground after the battle had ended.

"Um," she whispered, maybe more to herself than to any of the others, "they're going to be all right, aren't they? Nothing's…going to happen to them while we're gone, right?"

"Huh?" Junpei frowned over his shoulder at her." 'Course they're gonna be fine. I mean, it's Aigis and Mitsuru-senpai we're talking about, here. Speaking of which, senpai's probably gonna be pissed when she wakes up. I mean, she's sort of our new leader, now, right? I bet she wanted to be the first one to say hey to Minako when we finally find her. We'll have to get her some cake or something to say we're sorry."

"Hah, cake? Nah, I don't think so." Akihiko shook his head without turning around to look at them. "I doubt Mitusuru goes in for stuff like that."

"Oh…you got a point," muttered Junpei thoughtfully. "She's gotta maintain that amazing figure of hers, somehow."

Yukari was scandalized." How…how can you be so callous?" She stopped in her tracks and planted both hands on her hips, glaring at them both from behind. "The others are DYING back there, and you're cracking jokes? What is wrong with you?"

Junpei spun around and opened his mouth to retort, but Shinjiro stopped too, shaking his head.

"Let it go, Yukari" ordered Shinjiro quietly. "Aki and Junpei are just trying to take your mind off of what's going on. Getting all worked up about it isn't gonna help Mitsuru and the others. We have to keep moving. Come on."

With that he set off again after Theodore. After a moment's pause, Akihiko and Junpei hurried to catch up.

"Oh," murmured Yukari, a little ashamed of herself. "R…right. Of course. Hey, wait for me!"

Theodore led them through the mall, and up to the mirage of the door to Club Escapade. When Theodore opened the door and brought them all inside, Yukari found that the club was pretty much exactly the way she remembered it; dim with dizzying light fixtures, and complete with a small stage and a full bar counter against the far wall.

The only difference was that now, this "club" was completely deserted. There weren't even any bartenders behind the counter, or any passed-out drunks on the barstools.

"Please," began Theodore, turning to face them at last and giving them another polite little smile, "do sit down. You have already fought one harrowing battle, and are no doubt drained both physically and emotionally from your ordeal. I invite you to use this place which I have prepared to take a short rest and to rally your strength. I will return in an hour, at which time we shall continue to the next stage of your quest."

Akihiko's eyes went wide. "What? We can't rest, now. The others are waiting for us."

"Uh, yeah," agreed Junpei. "Remember that um, poison gas that somebody used? We're kind of racing against the clock, here. There's no time for chilling."

The look on Theodore's face flickered for only a split second. Yukari wasn't entirely sure that she'd really seen it.

"Nevertheless," he murmured, "it is my Master's wish that you should be given one hour to recuperate from your injuries thus far. Please…I encourage you to take this time to relax, to rejuvenate…perhaps to speak with each other, and to reminisce about old times? It has been some time since you have all come in contact with one another, has it not? You must have a great deal to talk about."

"Wait," called Yukari. "Mr. Theodore, please! We can't! Every wasted second is-!"

"And now," murmured Theodore, nodding and moving quickly towards the club door, "if you'll excuse me."

Before any of them had a chance to protest further, Theodore turned on his heel and left the club, shutting the door behind him. Akihiko rushed instantly to the door and tried to pull it open, but of course it was already locked.

"Damn," he mumbled, frustrated. "What the hell is going on, here?"

"It's just another part of the 'game,' I guess," said Shinjiro, settling down on the floor next to one of the bar stools. "They're testing us. It's no good trying to fight it. Might as well get comfortable, but stay on the alert. I'm not buying this whole 'rest' gag. Something nasty's gonna happen in here."

Junpei sighed. "Yeah…you're probably right. Jeez."

Yukari wasn't really paying attention. "An hour," she mumbled. "Do…do you think they can last a whole hour or being weak and poisoned?"

Shinjiro shrugged. "They'd better. Hey,can anybody hear Fuuka?"

Yukari frowned, and did her best to contact Fuuka with her thoughts. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head.

"No," she informed them. "I can't reach her at all. She must be too far away…"

"Yeah…I thought so." Akihiko looked frustrated. "Okay, then…in that case, we'll just have to be patient."

Shinjiro snorted a short little laugh. "Not something you're great at."

Akihiko turned and glared at him. "Can you blame me? Or, do you have a better idea? You want to think of something constructive we can do with our time, instead of just sitting there and making snide comments every few minutes?"

Shinjiro shrugged. "That guy suggested we talk."

"Talk, huh?" Akihiko raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't have thought you'd be up for that. You're not usually much of a talker."

Shinjiro just frowned, but Junpei interrupted before he could respond.

"Actually, senpai, uh…I'm sorta curious," he said hesitantly. "I mean, none of us have heard from you in a year in more than a year, right? So…how come? Where've you been?"

"Senpai's been training," replied Yukari." At the police academy in Osaka. Isn't that right, senpai? You're almost done, aren't you?"

"Well…yeah." Akihiko nodded. "I'll be getting my badge, soon. Then I'll finally become a police officer."

"Oh…oh, yeah, that's right." Junpei nodded. "I'm pretty sure Mitsuru-senpai told me something like that, actually. That's cool, senpai. You've always wanted to be a cop, haven't you? I mean, it's one of your big dreams."

"Uh," muttered Akihiko, "yeah. I'm surprised you remember."

"Wow, senpai." Yukari smiled. "Congratulations! You've realized one of your dreams! That's wonderful!"

"Aw, it's nothing," mumbled Akihiko awkwardly. "I mean, they'll probably just start me off as a traffic cop or something like that. After all, I'll be rookie for a while. It'll be a long time before I get to do any real fighting."

"Tch," muttered Shinjiro. "So, it's all still just about fighting, huh?"

"I…n-no, that's not-!" Akihiko glared. "Of course not. There's a lot more to being a policeman than just fighting. I just-!"

"You just still haven't let go," interrupted Shinjiro. "You're still hanging on to the past, aren't you, Aki?"

For a long moment, Akihiko was silent. Shinjiro gazed at him for a moment, then rolled his eyes and turned away.

"I lost someone again," muttered Akihiko. "Even after everything we'd been through together, we weren't strong enough to protect the one thing that mattered most to us all. We saved the world, but..we still had to make a sacrifice. I can't rest until I'm sure that it'll never happen again. Next time, I'll be strong enough for a real victory; to protect everything I care about. How can you expect me to 'move on' from the past when there's still so much I have to regret?"

Junpei shuffled his feet awkwardly, and Yukari found that she could no longer meet Akihiko's eyes.

"N-no, senpai, it's cool," said Junpei finally into the heavy, uncomfortable silence. "I get you. I mean…it's hard to forget. Lately I've been feeling like…maybe we're not supposed to. Like, maybe we're thinking about this all the wrong way. Instead of trying to forget the past and live our lives like nothing's different, maybe we're supposed to have learned something."

"Learned something, you?" Yukari tried to sound sarcastic, hoping to crack a joke at Junpei's expense and lighten the atmosphere. It didn't work. Her heart still felt heavy. "What are we supposed to have learned?"

"Um…well, honestly, I, uh, dunno," mumbled Junpei. "Maybe…maybe we learned about what's really important. Like…saving the world and playing the hero's really cool, and all, but lately I've been feeling like I'd be a lot happier if I hadn't been a hero. If I'd grown into some lame, boring old guy with no skills and nothing to brag about, maybe that'd be okay if I still had all my peeps around me…you know, like if she'd never died. I'd rather be stupid, boring and old with the people I care about than a hero with nobody…or without my best bud, anyway. Does that sound...weird? Maybe I'm not saying it right."

He rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck and cracked his knuckles, staring at the floor.

"Wow, Junpei," whispered Yukari. "That was...it didn't sound like you at all."

"Uh..sorry," muttered Junpei.

"It's not weird, though," she added quickly. "I mean, I think you're right! I…I miss her, too. I've been trying so hard to move on with my life, to get a good job and to be a good person, but…honestly, it just feels more and more like I'm running away. The more I try to forget about what happened and move on, the more I feel like my mother; refusing to think about the past because it's too scary to accept that I might never actually feel as happy and whole as I want to. Maybe these scars aren't ever going to heal. That's scary, so, I ignore it and try not to think about it, but that's not really the right thing to do, is it? That's not closure, it's just…it's just hiding from the truth. It's not what she would have wanted, and it's not the way I promised my father that I'd be. 'Moving on' feels like just another way of saying 'giving up,'" and I don't want to give up. I don't want to forget about her."

Akihiko nodded once. "Yes…I agree."

"Still,' murmured Yukari, sighing, "it isn't really that easy, is it? I mean, it doesn't really matter how strong any of us where, back then. Senpai, even if you'd been the greatest boxer and fighter in the world, there was nothing we could have done. We couldn't have saved her from her fate, no matter how hard we'd tried. I keep reminding myself of that, every day, but…it's not really helping. It still feels like I failed, somehow."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei, "yeah, but that's why we're here, isn't it? I mean, this has gotta be our chance. There was nothing we could have done, back then, but now maybe, just maybe if we finish this stupid game, we can really save her. It's like Igor said; we can't change the past, but now, we can maybe change the future. There's no way I'd pass up a chance like this. That's why you all ran in after me, right? We're on the same page here. We're ready. I mean…I know I'm ready, anyway. I'm ready to get it right, this time."

"I'm ready to stop running away," murmured Yukari. "I'm not going to give up on her, even if it seems impossible."

"I'd better be strong enough," added Akihiko quietly. "I'll have to be…because it's time."

Yukari, Junpei, and Akihiko all gazed at each other, and Yukari suddenly felt like for the first time since they'd rushed blindly into this messed up world that they were all finally feeling the same thing; that they all finally had the same determination in their hearts, and that she could feel a familiar connection between them that reminded her of the bonds they'd shared so long ago.

"Well," asked Akihiko, turning suddenly on Shinjiro. "What about you? You're awfully quiet over there. What are you doing here, Shinji? You were pretty quick to run in here with Junpei. Are you feeling guitly, finally? Having trouble letting go of the past, just like me?"

Shinjiro shrugged. "I've got my reasons," he muttered. "Anyway, it's none of your business. Let's just get this over with and rescue your friends…all of them."

"Aw, hey, that's not fair," said Junpei. "Even after I made that big, inspiring speech, you're still not gonna level with the rest of us? Oh, hey, but I bet I already know, Shinjiro-senpai. You're all bent out of shape over Minako because-!"

Shinjiro opened his mouth to protest, but just as he began to speak, all of the lights in the club suddenly went out. Shinjiro fell silent, and Yukari caught her breath, listening to the soft sounds of something unseen slithering slowly across the floor in their direction.

"Eek," squeaked Yukari.

"Damnit," muttered Shinjiro. "Stay close, everybody. Here it comes."

She heard, Junpei and Akihiko move, felt Junpei's elbow jab suddenly into her side, and gasped.

"Hey, Junpei," she hissed.

"S-sorry," mumbled Junpei, taking a step away from her. "I can't see a damn thing in here."

For a long, tense moment, no one moved.

"Shinji," called Akihiko.

"Yeah," grunted Shinjiro. "I'm here. You ready?"

"Ready," whispered Yukari, swiftly unholstering the evoker and holding it to the side of her head.

"Ready to rock," agreed Junpei.

"I'm ready" muttered Akihiko. Yukari heard him shifting back and forth, bouncing up and down on his fighter's feet.

"Good," said Shinjiro. "Then let's do it."

Yukari fired the evoker into the side of her head, and her chest tensed instantly, her heart pounding faster in her chest as Isis rushed out of her soul and into the open air. She could hear the accompanying noises of three other personas materializing in the room around her, and then, barely visible through the groom, something shadowy and indistinct loomed towards her out of the darkness.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **I actually have to go do some homework (ew, holiday homework), but n the meantime, I thought I'd play a game!

I'm going to leave a short discussion question at the end of every chapter, to encourage some conversation about the story!**  
**

These discussion questions are just for fun; please don't feel obligated. **  
**

**Discussion question:**

Why would Akihiko ask if Shinjiro was "feeling guilty?"Does Shinjiro have anything to feel 'guilty' about?


	5. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Five

**Author's Note: **Snow is playing havoc with my Thanksgiving plans…oh well, I guess I'll write some more.

I mean, the only other option is studying…and I'm having a very Junpei day. Who wants to study when I can goof off instead?

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"Trismegistus," shouted Junpei, "let's go! Agidyne!"

A burst of flames shot from Junpei's persona, abruptly lighting up the darker recesses of the club. Yukari had a very brief glimpse of some kind of shadow skittering backwards into the darkness, away from the fiery blaze.

Unfortunately, Yukari wasn't as lucky.

"Ouch!" She winced in pain and clutched at her arm as Junpei's fire attack hit her instead of the shadow."Junpei, what the hell?"

"Sorry! I'm sorry," muttered Junpei hastily. "You okay, Yuka-tan? Damnit, it's pitch black in here. I can't even see where I'm attacking. This is no good."

"Nobody move," muttered Shinjiro. "No more attacks. We'll only end up hitting each other."

"Not necessarily," replied Akihiko. "We've done stuff like this before, remember? We used to encounter dark rooms in Tartarus, every now and then. Let's just do this the same way as we always have; the way Minako taught us. Piece of cake."

"Oh…oh, yeah!" Yukawri nodded hurriedly. "Um, I guess it's been a while since I've fought like this. I almost forgot about that."

"Yeah, me too," Junpei agreed. Yukari could hear the grin in his voice. "We got this! Way to go, senpai. Good thinking!"

"Hey," interrupted Shinjiro, "some of us have been stuck in the hospital for a while. Care to fill me in?"

"It's easy," said Junpei, as again Yukari heard the sounds of slimy, slithery shadows approaching through the darkness. "We pair off into teams of two. Uh, Shinjiro-senpai, you'd better go with Akihiko-senpai, cause he uses lightning. I've got fire, so Yukari can stick with me."

"Uh huh," muttered Shinjiro. "Okay. Then what?"

"Well," continued Junpei, "we can't see shit in here, right? So, every few seconds, Akihiko-senpai's gonna cast a lightning spell. That'll light everything up for a split-second, and so we'll be able to see where the shadows are. Once we can see the shadows, he'll yell 'fire,' and then you attack the enemy! When you're done, it'll be my turn. I'll use my fire attack to light everything up, and Yukari'll attack with her bow and arrow. Pretty cool, right?"

"Heh," grunted Shinjiro. "Not bad. Sounds like something our fearless leader'd come up with."

Yukari wished that she could see the look on Shinjiro's face. If she hadn't known better, she'd almost have been certain that he was smiling.

"Okay," announced Akihiko. "Is everyone ready? I'm going. Zio!"

He shot a low-level blast of lightning into the air in front of him, and Yukari and Junpei both scooted back as soon as they could make out where he was standing.

"Got him," muttered Shinjiro. "Castor, let's take this bastard down. Fatal End!"

The lightning died away and so did the visibility, but Yukari very clearly heard the shadow's squeal of distress of Shinjiro's vicious physical attack hit home.

"Nice," said Shinjiro. "All right, you two. Your turn."

"Cool! All right," declared Junpei, "let's try this again! Trismegistus, agi!"

This time, Yukari was ready, and she managed to stay well out of the way out of the flames. She caught a brief glimpse of the shadow crawling slowly forward across the floor, one long, three-fingered claw outstretched towards Akihiko.

"Okay, here I go!" Yukari pulled out her bow and arrow, and fired one swift shaft directly into the shadow's stomach. The shadow screamed and collapsed to the floor, then exploded in a puff of red and black essence before dissolving into the air around them.

"That one's down!" Yukari grinned to herself. "Hey, that was easy!"

"Don't get comfortable just yet," Akihiko warned her. "We don't know how many of them there are. We can only see them for a second each, so we'll have to keep attacking and hoping for the best until we're sure that they're all gone."

"No problem, senpai." Junpei sounded pretty pleased with himself. "We can do this! No sweat! Bring it on, man!"

That's exactly what they did. Over and over again, Akihiko lit up the room while Shinjiro fired off an attack. Then Junpei followed up with a burst of flames, and Yukari attacked with her bow and arrow. It went on for so long, and so many shadows went down in the process that Yukari began to wonder if maybe the stream of shadows was actually endless, and if they were materializing and adding to the ranks as time dragged on.

Unfortunately, it really had been a long time since she'd been in a battle, and her stamina wasn't nearly as good as it had once been. She was nervous, too, never sure of where an attack would come from until the room briefly lit up and she could see the oncoming shadow for just a moment. The experience was playing havoc with her nerves, and when a hand came down suddenly on her shoulder, she jumped in surprise.

"Relax," muttered Shinjiro. "Your attacks are getting sloppy. Stay focused."

"I…I'm trying," mumbled Yukari. "Sorry."

"There are way more enemies here than I thought," called Junpei, as Akihiko and Shinjiro again began their combined assault. "Seriously, is this ever gonna end? I'm getting tired…"

"Junpei," shouted Akihiko, "it's your turn! Keep it together! We're only supposed to be in here for an hour, remember? It has to be over, soon."

"Ack!" This time, when Junpei's persona threw it's fireball, Yukari barely managed to get out of the way in time.

"Hey, Yukari…you okay?" Akihiko sounded worried.

"I'm fine," mumbled Yukari, straightening her shoulders and taking a deep breath. "Sorry. Don't worry abut me. I can do this."

"Don't overdo it," muttered Shinjiro.

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "Sounds like you're getting ready to freak out."

Even though she knew that he couldn't see her, Yukari glared in Junpei's general direction. "I'm not freaking out," she insisted. "I'm just fine!"

"Yeah…sure you are." Junpei sighed. "I can hear the confidence in your voice…NOT."

Yukari just gritted her teeth and tried to ignore them all.

_Well, _she thought, _what does he expect? Of course I'm struggling a little. I mean…think of everything that's happened, today! First we get suddenly pulled into this horrible place, and I still don't know if this is a dream, or if it's for real. Maybe it'd be better if it WAS a dream, because Mitsuru-senpai and the others are still dying out there, and nobody knows what's happened to Fuuka. Is it really such a shock that I'm a little upset? When are these shadows finally going to stop coming? We have to get going. The longer we stay here, the worse it's going to get for the others, and besides, I am starting to get tired, even if I can't ever admit it in front of Junpei. I'm not used to this, and I'm trying to be strong, but…but I'm scared! I'm scared for me, and for the others. What's so weird about that?_

"Yukari," said Shinjiro suddenly. "A little earlier, you said that you were trying to 'find a good job.' That right?"

"H-huh?" Yukari blinked. "Oh, yeah, I guess I did."

"So," he asked, "what was that all about? What kind of job are you looking for? Did you finish school already?"

Again, Junpei threw up a fireball, and again, Yukari fired at an oncoming shadow.

"Um," she mumbled, "can we talk about this later? I'm kind of busy right now!"

"Nah," said Shinjiro unexpectedly. "Let's hear it, now."

Yukari turned in his direction, surprised, and opened her mouth to protest. A flash of lightning from Akihiko's persona lit up the room, and for just a split second Yukari saw Shinjiro looking at her. He wasn't smiling, but, then again, he almost never was. There was something calming about the closed, unperturbed expression on his face that relaxed Yukari just a little bit.

_He's trying to take my mind off of things, _she realized, _just like Junpei and Akihiko-senpai were doing, before. He really is very kind, no matter what other people say._

"Um," she began, as Shinjiro started to attack a shadow, "well, I'm in my senior year of college, and I've been studying a bunch of different stuff. My major's in anthropology, and-!"

"Anthro-what?" Junpei sounded confused. "What the heck is that?"

"Um…people studies, sort of," returned Yukari. "I guess it's kind of like a combination of history and people skills?"

"Oh." Apparently losing interest, Junpei fired off another burst of flame. "Boring academic stuff. Right, got it."

Yukari rolled her eyes, shot her bow and arrow, and then went on as the shadow screamed. "Anyway," she continued, "I don't really want to be a teacher, or to work at a museum, or anything, so I thought maybe I'd focus on the 'people skills' part of my degree. I think I get people pretty well, and I sort of understand what they like and don't like, so I'm looking for a job in something like customer service, where I can help answer questions and solve problems."

"Customer service, huh? That sounds like a good job," mused Akihiko. "That's not easy work, though. You have to keep a cool head, and stay patient. The guy who works the phones at the police station is always dealing with prank callers and people acting like assholes for no good reason. It seems like a headache, to me."

"Yuka-tan's kind of got a problem with keeping her cool, though," added Junpei, laughing. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

"Oh, I think I'll be fine," retorted Yukari. "I've got lots of practice dealing with idiots. After all, I lived with Stupei for a whole year, right?"

"Ouch," mumbled Junpei. "I'm gonna need some salve for that burn…"

Akihiko laughed too, and Yukari found herself already feeling just a little better. While Akihiko and Shinjiro tag-teamed another shadow, Akihiko turned and glanced back at Junpei.

"What about you, Junpei?" In the flash of light, Yukari saw him raise an eyebrow. "What've you been doing all these years? Did you end up going to college after all?"

"Me? College? You gotta be kidding." Junpei's persona shot off another fireball, and Yukari quickly followed with an attack. "You couldn't pay me to go back to school now that high school's FINALLY over. Nah, I'm better off becoming a productive member of society right out of the gate."

"A productive member of society? You?" Yukari grinned. "I'll believe that when I see it."

"Hey, it's true!" Junpei sounded annoyed. "I've been doing my part to make the world a better place, you know? I've got myself a really good job."

"So," asked Akihiko, "what is it?"

"Uh, well…" Junpei paused for a moment to light up the room again so that Yukari could attack. "Actually, I work at a kids library. It's pretty cool. They have pretty much all the manga you could read in a lifetime, so I'm not complaining."

"You…work at a library?" Even Shinjiro sounded genuinely surprised. "I, uh, wouldn't have guessed."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei, sounding proud of himself. "It's a pretty big public library, and I'm head of the cleaning staff. You'd think that people's be able to read signs, but nope. Everybody stil brings food into the library, makes a huge mess. There's a lot of gritty cleaning that I have to get done, and if you don't mind me saying so, I'm pretty much a beast at my job. That library is spotless three-hundred-percent of the time, all thanks to yours truly, Super-Janitor Junpei!"

He paused again, and Yukari smiled.

"Wow, Junpei," she said. "That's actually really cool."

"Huh?" Junpei turned and stared at her, as Akihiko lit up the room again with his lightning bolt. "You…aren't you gonna laugh? I figured you'd call me out on being a janitor, when you've abut to have that fancy degree in anthrosomething, and all."

"There's nothing to laugh at," replied Akihiko. "You're doing good work, and it sounds like you take pride in it. I can't think of anything wrong with that."

"C-cool," mumbled Junpei. "Thanks, I…I guess."

For a few minutes, the four of them fought on in companionable silence, knocking out the shadows that kept coming on and on, apparently without end.

"So, Shinjiro-senpai," asked Yukari eventually, finishing up another round with her bow and arrow, "what about you?"

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "You're the only one who hasn't spilled, yet. What cool stuff have you been getting into since school?"

"You don't want to hear about it," mumbled Shinjiro.

"No, we definitely do," returned Yukari. "We've all been so worried about you. It was great to finally see you again in such good health. I'm really curious, though. Where have you been all this time?"

Akihiko muttered something under his breath that Yukari couldn't quite make out.

Shinjiro sighed. "All right, fine. I've been working as a security guard on the overnight shift at a hospital in the city."

"Oh, wow!" Junpei sounded impressed. "That's great, senpai! You're a pretty intimidating guy, so I bet that scares most of the wannabe-thieves off before they get into any real trouble. You'd make a badass security guard."

"Junpei," muttered Yukari warningly, but she knew he wasn't paying attention.

"Yeah," agreed Shinjiro. "And since I'm the only one allowed into the building at night, it's pretty easy to get the painkillers I need without causing too much of a problem."

Yukari wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, and obviously Junpei wasn't either.

"Uh," he mumbled. "That's, uh…that's g-good, I guess."

Akihiko let out a short, irritated little sigh.

"What?" Shinjiro turned on him, his face still unreadable in the flash of light from Akihiko's lightning bolt. "If there's something you want to say, Aki, then say it."

"It's nothing," muttered Akihiko. "Forget it. It's not like I didn't know."

"Wait," asked Junpei. "How did you know?"

"He's been spying on me," said Shinjiro.

"I've been keeping an eye on you," corrected Akihiko sharply. "You're my friend, whether you like it or not. I was worried about you, so I checked up every now and then to see how you were doing, that's all."

"Oh, yeah?" Shinjiro didn't sound impressed. "Well, that's awfully nice of you, Aki, but how come you never bothered to come and actually see for yourself? If you were so worried, how come I haven't seen you in more than a year? Wouldn't it have been easier to come and say hi than to just keep asking Mitsuru for updates?"

Akihiko didn't seem to have a response to that. Instead, he angrily shot off another bolt of lightning, and this time it took a moment before Shinjiro followed up with an attack.

"Uh, now that you mention it," said Junpei into the ensuing silence, "that's a good question. How come we never talk anymore, guys? I mean…it really HAS been a long time since we've been in touch. What's up with that? It's not like we don't have cell phones, and there are trains that come in from the city every hour or so."

"Um," murmured Yukari. "I….suppose I should probably have called more often."

"Like I said," grumbled Akihiko. "I've been busy. We've all just…we've all been busy. Real life is like that."

Yukari still wasn't so sure.

_There's no way that we've all been 'too busy'_ _to pick up the phone, _she thought. _That isn't it. It's not that we haven't had time to stay in touch it's just…maybe we haven't wanted to? Maybe this is another part of running away. Maybe we're just too scared. _

While she was trying to figure out if she wanted to put that sentiment in to words, the lights suddenly flickered on again in the club. While Junpei, Akihiko and Shinjiro all blinked and waited for their eyes to adjust to the light, Yukari slowly realized that a new blue, glowing door had materialized in the wall behind the bar counter.

"Bingo," said Junpei. "There's our ticket out of here..finally!"

There were no longer any shadows to be seen. As Yukari watched the door, it swung open to reveal the placidly smiling face of Theodore on the other side.

"Ah, good," he said, nodding at them. "Have you all had a nice, refreshing rest? If you're prepared to continue your journey, then please, follow me."

He turned around and then disappeared through the door again.

After glancing quickly at each other, Yukari, Junpei, Shinjiro and Akihiko all followed after him.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: ** At the moment I am stuck in a car on a five hour road trip with my computer to write fanfiction, my PS vita, and my 3DS to play Persona Q.

Oh god, I have no idea what to do first. Videogame overstimulation…! Send help! Or, um, just send reviews. Those are nice, too. Pretty please!


	6. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Six: Part One

**Author's Note: **It's Thanksgiving. Oh lord, I do not want to deal with my relatives. Somehow, no matter what I do, I ALWAYS end up getting the question "So, when are you getting married?"

I'm not getting married. I'm never getting married. I don't want to get married (and neither does Dag.) For some reason, this response quickly devolves into everyone shouting at me and my grandmother crying. I kid you not; this is a thing that actually happens every year at the Moriarty family Thanksgiving.

For once, I'm eager to lock myself in this hotel room and study.

Before I do that, though, how about another chapter? Yeah, that's a great idea!

* * *

**Chapter Six – Part One**

This time, when Junpei, Yukari, Akihiko and Shinjiro stepped through to the other side of the blue door, they found themselves standing in the middle of what looked a lot like the Iwatodai Strip Mall. On one side was a sign reading "Wild Duck Burger," hanging in front of their familiar, infamous old burger joint. A little ways down the street from that was another sign reading "Bookworms," although it looked as though that sign was started to decay a little with age and lack of use.

"All right," said Junpei, nodding and grinning." Now this is more like it! I've got a ton of great memories of this place. Wuck's a great hangout. Even if the fries are a little soggy, there's always way more than one person can eat, right? It's awesome."

Theodore looked extremely pleased. "Ah, so an overabundance of food can be counted as a pleasant memory? Thank you. I shall keep that valuable information in mind."

"Uh," began Yukari, "That's…not exactly what made it such a fun place. Actually, if you ask me, the burgers weren't even that good, but…you know, we had some fun times, there. We all did; Minako, too. And, sure, I guess the fries were pretty tasty after a long afternoon at club."

As Yukari finished speaking, Junpei noticed the door to Bookworms slowly swinging open. The blond woman called Elizabeth stepped out, smiled at Theodore, and began walking towards them.

"Oh boy," mumbled Junpei. "Here we go."

"Ah," said Elizabeth, sounding thrilled. "It is a pleasure to see so many of you again! I'm delighted that all four of you have survived your ordeals thus far!"

"Tch," snorted Shinjiro. "No thanks to you, huh?"

"If you would be so good," she went on, ignoring him, "then please pair off into two groups. As before, one pair shall go with my brother, Theodore, while I shall accompany the other pair."

Junpei turned to look at the others.

"So," he asked, "what's it gonna be?"

Shinjiro shrugged. "I don't see any reason to change things up, now."

"I agree," said Akihiko. "Let's keep the same pairs that we used in the last challenge. Yukari, you go with Junpei. Shinji, you come with me."

"Got it." Yukari nodded and remained with Junpei, while Shinjiro and Akihiko walked over to join Elizabeth.

"Oh, have you already decided?" Elizabeth clasped her hands in front of her, and gave Shinjiro and Akihiko each a little bow. "Very well, then! If you would, please allow me to escort you to the next area. Right this way!"

Turning on her heel, she headed off in the direction of the door to the Bookworms bookshop.

"All right," said Shinjiro, shooting a quick, warning look at Junpei and Yukari. "See you on the other side, I guess."

"Stay focused, you two," added Akihiko. "We'll be waiting for you when this is all over. Whatever you do, don't get careless. Don't expect anything, and get ready to be surprised."

"Right," agreed Junpei, nodding and flashing Akihiko a confident grin that he hoped looked more convincing than it felt. "No problem, senpai! You be careful, too!"

"See you soon, senpai!" Yukari gave the other two a little wave. She and Junpei both watched as they disappeared into the bookshop, shutting the door behind them.

"Yikes," muttered Junpei once they'd gone. "Splitting us up again, huh? I know it's not usually my job to say this, but I've got a really bad feeling about this one."

"I know," sighed Yukari. "This feels wrong, but…what else can we do? We all agreed that we're ready, right? We're ready to get her back, once and for all. I…guess we have no choice but to go through with this, no matter how nasty it feels."

Junpei nodded. "Yeah, for sure. I mean, there's no turning back now, even if we wanted to. How about it, Yuka-tan? You ready for this?"

Yukari frowned, then took a deep breath, and clenched her fists at her sides.

"I'm ready," she told him. "Or…at least, as ready as I'm ever going to be. Come on, let's go."

Without waiting for Theodore, she started off towards the door to the Wild Duck Burger restaurant. After a brief, surprised moment, Junpei hurried to follow.

"Oh! W-wait for me!" Junpei could hear Theodore rushing along behind them. "I can't allow to you enter unaccompanied! It is my duty to escort you! Please, please wait!"

**Meanwhile, inside the Bookworms bookshop…**

Elizabeth turned and carefully shut the door behind her, then spun around to smile at Shinjiro and Akihiko.

"This will be a very simple challenge," she informed them. "There are barely any rules!"

"Not sure I like the sound of that," muttered Shinjiro. "Why do I get the feeling that you and I have pretty different definitions of what's 'simple?'"

Elizabeth didn't bat an eyelash.

"Here," she continued, "you'll only have to fight one single opponent! Once your opponent is defeated, the door to the next area will appear, and you may continue on your journey! Doesn't that sound easy?"

"A single opponent, huh?" Akihiko glanced over his shoulder at the interior of the bookstore. "Where's it hiding? Or, are you just going to pull it out of thin air, like last time?"

Again, Elizabeth ignored the question.

"I do have one warning for you," she told them, raising an admonitory finger and wagging it at Akihiko. "Please; it is very important that you remember one thing. The door will only appear after you have defeated your opponent! You'll have to incapacitate it before you're able to move on! You can't run away this time, okay? If you try, that means you'll lose! That would be very disappointing, wouldn't it?"

"Right," agreed Akihiko. "We can't lose…not after we've come this far. There are people waiting for us, after all."

"Bring it on," grunted Shinjiro. "Where's this one 'single opponent' we're supposed to beat down?"

By way of response, Elizabeth took a quick step backwards, and then opened the door behind her.

"Oh, he's already here," she informed them both. "He's waiting for you, in this very room! Good luck!"

With that, she hurried out of the store, and Akihiko and Shinjiro were left alone together. For a long moment, they stood in silence, staring warily around into the shadows cast by bookcases and the large desk in the center of the room.

"I'll check it out," said Akihiko, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet in a preparatory manner, then slowly and carefully making his way around to the other side of the desk. "Keep your eyes open, Shinji. If the shadow's in here somewhere, then it could attack at any moment. Get ready for an ambush. I'll see if I can find it or scare it out."

While Shinjiro watched, Akihiko crept around the room, searching for any trace of a sneaky shadow hiding in or behind the furniture. There was nothing in any of the bookcases, under the desk or behind the chairs. The tiny adjoining bathroom was also empty, and so were the trashcans, the desk drawers, and even the cracks in between the floorboards.

"Nngh," muttered Akihiko eventually, wiping a bead of sweat off of his brow and getting up from where he'd been crouched next to a suspicious floor crack. "Nothing here, either. I'm stumped."

"Forget it, Aki," said Shinjiro. "We're the only ones in here."

"Nah, that can't be." Akihiko shook his head. "She said the shadow was in here with us, so we have to-!

"Wrong," interrupted Shinjiro. "She said the 'opponent' was in here already. She said 'he' was in here, right? Don't you get it?"

Akihiko stopped and frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

Shinjiro sighed. "I'm the opponent, he explained. "So are you. We're supposed to fight each other."

"Wh…what?" Akihiko's face went white. "Are you serious? That's insane."

"I don't know what you're so surprised about," retorted Shinjiro, shrugging. "They had us do this once before, with the others. At least time, they're letting us see each other faces, so we know who we're actually fighting."

Akihiko opened his mouth, then closed it again tightly and shook his head.

"It's not happening," he said firmly. "I'm not fighting you."

"Why?" Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "It never used to bother you, before. We used to fight all the time, back in the day. I've still got some of the scars to prove it."

"That was different," retorted Akihiko angrily. "I didn't know, then, that you…"

He trailed off, unsure how to finish his sentence. Shinjiro had to do the work for him.

"You didn't know then that I was dying," he said. "Is that it? You don't want to hit a sick guy? Come on, I can take it. I've had worse."

"Don't be an idiot," snapped Akihiko. "You're in no condition to be fighting. You might not survive a full-on assault. I could kill you."

"Don't flatter yourself," retorted Shinjiro, grinning nastily. "You're not that good. I may be a little weaker than I was, but I've still got plenty of fight in me. Let's see what you've got, Aki. Come at me."

He readied his evoker, but Akihiko didn't move. He just stood there, shaking his head.

"I won't do it," he insisted through gritted teeth. "I don't care what you say, Shinji. If I take you down, it could be bad. You might not get back up, and if you do, there might be lasting damage. We've come this far without you getting seriously injured. I'm not going to risk it, now."

Shinjiro sighed, and shoved his evoker back into his pocket.

"Jeez," he mumbled. "What ever happened to 'ready,' huh? I thought you and the others said that you wanted a chance to bring her back? Well, this is it. Are you really gonna waste that chance, just because you're afraid of giving me a split lip?"

This time, Akihiko didn't say anything. He just shook his head.

"Aki," reasoned Shinjiro in a slightly lower, less aggressive tone, "you know this is the right choice. You keep saying that I'm weak; that I can't be trusted in a fight. Well, I'm not saying that you're right, but if you are then you know that you're the one that has to move on from here. You're strong enough to see this through to the end. You gotta take me down so that you can be the one to walk out of here. Minako's waiting for you. Don't screw it up by letting her down, now."

"What if we lose? Akihiko shook his head. "What if I don't make it to the end? What's going to happen to you, then?"

"Who knows?" Shinjiro shrugged. "Maybe I'll die here. Might as well be here. Guess I'd rather it be here than in some hospital bed, anyway."

Again, he got into a fighting stance. Akihiko just turned away.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly but firmly, shaking his head.

Shinjiro took a deep breath.

"Yeah," he muttered, his voice wavering just a little bit. "Yeah…me too."

Then, holding his axe over his head with both hands, he made a run straight at Akihiko's unprotected back.

"You'll thank me later, I hope," he mumbled. "This is…probably going to hurt like hell, though. Guess you're not giving me any choice."

Akihiko heard him coming, but didn't move an inch. He only shut his eyes and shoved his fists deeper into his pockets, steeling himself for the blow.

**To be continued...**

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**Author's End Note:**

This chapter has two parts, for obvious reasons. I'll finish the next one tomorrow, probably on the long ride home.

I do, however, have a quick question for you all tonight!

**Discussion question: **

Which two Persona 3 or P3P characters would you most like to se**e **facing off against each other? Which one do you think would win, and why?


	7. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Six: Part Two

**Author's Note: **We're closer to the end of this little story! What do you guys think so far? I'm actually kind of enjoying this one. I was afraid that I'd have a hard time getting back into writing Persona fic, but it's been a lot easier than I expected! Huzzah.

* * *

**Chapter Six – Part Two: Meanwhile, in the Wild Duck Burger Restaurant…**

Long after Theodore had left Yukari and Junpei alone together, Junpei was still clambering around behind the counter, trying to find the hidden shadow that they were supposed to fight. Yukari was standing at the front, keeping her on the door in case the shadow decided to make its way in from outside while Junpei's back was turned.

"Aw, I give up," muttered Junpei finally from under one of the tables in the back. "If this thing's in here, it'll come out when it damn well decides it's ready. I guess we'll just have to wait here and see what happens."

He sat down and crossed both arms over his chest, annoyed and trying not to let himself get too stressed out.

"This sucks," he spat. "Even our 'break' wasn't really a break. I'm getting pretty sick of this shit. Can't we just finish the fight and get this all over with?"

He glanced over at Yukari, but she didn't appear to be listening. Instead, she was staring pretty intensely at the door, muttering something inaudible under her breath.

"Uh…Yukari?" Junpei frowned. "You doing okay? Don't freak out on me, now. It's just you and me in here. I need you on your game."

"Just…you and me," mumbled Yukari, her eyes going wide. "Oh…oh, no. No, that can't be it!"

"Huh? What's up?" Junpei started to struggle back to his feet again. "What are you going on about? What's 'not it?'"

"J-Junpei," whispered Yukari, "I think…I think we're the opponents. I think we're supposed to fight each other."

Junpei froze for a moment, then jumped up so fast that he hit his head on the table and ended up crawling out from underneath rubbing at his aching crown.

"No way," he said, shaking his head emphatically, if painfully. "What's the point of that?"

"I don't know," murmured Yukari, "but…if you think about it, it makes sense. There must be some kind of magical trigger or seal on the door that makes it open when the opponent has been defeated. Maybe it opens when there's only one person left in the room. If you're right about there really only being just the two of us in here, then…then there isn't really any other way of looking at it."

Junpei's jaw dropped. "Uh…"

"Y-yeah." Yukari sighed. "That's pretty much what I was thinking."

She sat down in one of the chairs with her back to him.

"So…then, what are we supposed to do?" Junpei scratched nervously at the back of his head, his mind racing as he tried to come up with some kind of reasonable escape strategy, or way that they could trick the system.

"I don't know," admitted Yukari. "But…whatever it is, we have to hurry. The others are still down there, dying. I don't know where Akihiko-senpai and Shinjiro-senpai are, either, but-!"

"Those two? Eh, they're fine." Junpei shrugged, trying to look and sound far more confident than he felt. "Whatever it is, they can take it. They're badasses."

"Yeah," murmured Yukari unconvincingly. "Yeah…I guess you're right."

Junpei frowned thoughtfully at the ground, thinking hard.

"Okay," he said, nodding slowly to himself. "Okay, think I got an idea. You say the door's gonna open when there's only one of us left, right? So, why don't I lie down on the ground and hold my breath for a few seconds? I'll make it seem like I'm out of the game, and then maybe whatever creepy spell's on this place will open the door for you."

Yukari paused, then brightened up just a little bit. "Do…do you really think that's gonna work?"

"Who knows?" Junpei shrugged. "Might as well give it a shot, right? Hey, get ready, though. As soon as that door opens, were gonna have to sprint. Here goes."

With that, he flopped down on the floor next to one of the tables, splayed out all of his limbs, and took a deep breath.

Yukari giggled, then quickly stifled it. "Sorry! You, uh…you just look kind of silly."

"Shut up," muttered Junpei. "Look sad, or something."

Steadying himself and trying to remain as still as he could, Junpei held his breath. Yukari was totally silent as the seconds ticked by, and Junpei listened as hard as he could for any kind of movement.

Finally, he couldn't take it any more and had to suck in a long breath.

Yukari sighed.

"It's no good, she told him. "The door's still shut tight."

"Damn," mumbled Junpei. "All right, well, I didn't really think that was gonna work, anyway. We'll have to think of something else."

He stood up, and crossed over to sit at the table next to Yukari.

"Man," he said, shaking his head. "I wish Mina-tan were here. She was always the man with the plan; you know what I'm saying? I'm trying to ask myself, like…what would Mina-tan do, right now?"

At first, Yukari didn't seem to have a response to that. She sat silently, staring down at her own hands while Junpei tried desperately to come up with a new plan.

"Minako," she murmured. "What would she do? She'd…she'd do whatever she had to do, I guess, to make sure that the others get out of here safely. No matter what it takes, that's what we have to do."

"Yeah," sighed Junpei. "That, uh, doesn't help much, though. I mean, that's more of a mantra than an actual strategy."

Yukari shook her head. "No, it isn't. I just told you what has to happen. Junpei, you're going to have to defeat me."

"Wha…huh?" Junpei turned to stare at her. "Hey, are you out of your mind?"

Yukari took a deep breath, steadying herself and obviously trying to relax.

"I won't fight you," she assured him. "It won't be hard. I'll let you defeat me. It shouldn't take too long."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa whoa!" Junpei held up both hands in front of him in protest. "No way, man! Cut it out! When I said we had to think like Mina, I didn't mean you were supposed to go all martyrdom on me!"

"You won't have to kill me," insisted Yukari. "You just have to-!"

"Shut the hell up!" Junpei stood up angrily, his clenched fists shaking at his sides. "Knock it off, Yukari! No, I'm not…I'm not going to-!"

"You don't have a choice, "snapped Yukari. "The longer we wait, the worse it gets for the others! One of us has to get out of here fast, and this is the only way that I can think of. One of us has to lose this fight."

"Then…" For a moment, Junpei just stared at her with his mouth half-open. Then, he swallowed and squared his shoulders. "Then, I guess I should be the one to take the hit. I'm a guy, right? It's my responsibility to be the muscle around here. You take me out of the game, and then you go on to join the others. I'm a big, strong dude, I can take it."

Yukari shook her head. "No, that won't work. You're right, Junpei. I hate to say it, and you're NEVER gonna get me to say it again, but you are stronger than me. You're better in a fight than I am, and so Minako's going to need you. Whatever happens, Junpei, we HAVE to get to the end of this, for her sake and for everyone else's. You have to win the rest of these battles, and you're way more likely to do that than I am."

"B-but…" Junpei grimaced. "This is crazy."

"Yeah," agreed Yukari. "It is." Then, unexpectedly, she smiled. It wasn't exactly a happy smile, but there was something gentle about it that Junpei wasn't used to seeing on the face of his fiery former comrade.

"It's okay," she assured him. "I trust you, Junpei. I know I can count on you to get her back for me. You can do this."

"Y-Yuka-tan," mumbled Junpei confusedly. "You, uh…seriously?"

"Yeah," returned Y ukari. "Oh, but,' she added, raising an eyebrow, "just like I said before; don't ever expect me to say it again."

"R-right," said Junpei. "Sure, I…I get it."

Yukari nodded, then stood up and stepped away from the table, turning her back to him.

"Try to make it quick, okay?" She sighed. "I…I don't think I can watch while you do this. I'm sorry."

"Uh, no," mumbled Junpei. "It's probably better if we, uh, don't make eye contact, or something."

"Right." Yukari nodded.

Junpei started to raise his evoker to the side of his head, then stopped and winced. "I'm not sure I can even hit a girl," he muttered.

"You'll have to," said Yukari. "Come on, let's get it over with. The anticipation is awful. Just do it, quick, and we'll see each other when you get back."

Not for the first time, Junpei took a moment to marvel at Yukari's sheer nerve. She could be annoyingly girly sometimes, and she quailed in the face of things she didn't understand, but when it came down to the moment of truth, like this, she always seemed to have the resolve that he sometimes couldn't muster. She was a force to be reckoned with; she always had been. He wasn't sure if he liked that about her, or if it terrified him. Maybe both were true.

"Oh, and Junpei?" Suddenly, she turned around to glance over her shoulder at him. "One more thing."

"Wh-what?" Junpei blinked.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at him."Don't even think about doing something weird or perverted to me while I'm knocked out. No weird pictures, either. Got that? If you do something creepy, I swear I'll kill you as soon as I wake up."

Junpei tried to grin at her. "Hey," he reminded her shakily. "You said you trusted me, remember?"

Yukari just sighed, rolled her eyes, and turned away from him again.

"Right," she said. "I guess I did say that. Don't you dare make me regret it."

She fell silent, and after a moment, Junpei realized that it was time for him to do his thing.

"Okay," he began again, "here I…!"

"Wait!" Again, Yukari spun around to face him. "I forgot something!"

"What?" Junpei glared. "Jeez, what the hell is it this time?"

"Here," Yukari ordered. "Hold still for a second."

Reaching into her sweater pocket, she pulled out her evoker and held it to her head.

"Isis," she called, and the persona materialized, hovering just above the ground a foot or so between them.

"Before you go," Yukari told Junpei, "let's make sure you're at full strength, okay? If you lose the rest of this game, I'll never forgive you. Isis, Diarahan!"

Isis moved, and a soft, gentle mist of healing energy radiated out from Yukari's persona, engulfing Junpei in a pleasant glow. He sighed, feeling the wounds that he'd sustained in battles this far beginning to fade away, the pain ebbing as his whole body relaxed.

"There," murmured Yukari, dismissing her persona and returning her evoker to her hip pocket. "That's better. Okay.,.now, I'm really ready."

Again, she turned around.

"Yuka-tan," muttered Junpei, feeling himself starting to panic. "I…I can't."

"You can," retorted Yukari gently. "Go on…just do it, now, before either of us have another chance to change our minds."

She stood still, her hands at her sides, and Junpei reached up to feel the place where there had only recently been a cut on his lower jaw. It was gone now, healed by Yukari's magic.

Suddenly, he hated everything. He hated this place, and he hated this challenge. The bile rose in his throat, and he wanted more than anything else to just be out of here and done with this forever.

"T-Trismegistus," he hissed, firing the evoker into the side of his head and summoning his persona out into the open air. "A…Agidyne."

For a moment, Trismegistus hesitated, probably reacting to the uncertainty in Junpei's own conflicted soul. Then, a burst of flame shot out of Trismegistus, engulfing Yukari in a fiery blaze.

"Aaaah!" She shrieked, winced, and stumbled back.

"Yukari!" Junpei almost dropped the evoker in his panic. "Are you-?"

"Just keep going," demanded Yukari through clenched teeth. "Come on, Junpei, please! Just let this be over!"

Junpei swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and then muttered, "Okay. Agi…dyne."

Again, Yukari was badly burnt by a bolt of flame. Again, she screamed, and this time, Junpei didn't wait before launching another assault.

"Agidyne," he muttered again, shutting his eyes, afraid to see the pain that Yukari was in. He could feel the tears starting to prick at the backs of his eyelids, could still make out the bursts of light as Trismegistus burned her again and again.

Finally, Yukari sighed, and then collapsed to the floor in a heap, her evoker and bow and arrow both falling to the floor at her side.

"Yukari!" Instantly, Junpei rushed over and knelt beside her, frantically feeling for a pulse. After a moment, he realized that she was, in fact, still breathing, if faintly. She was badly injured but not dead. A good few healing spells would do the trick.

"I…damnit, I'm sorry," muttered Junpei. He stayed there on the ground beside her for a while, his shoulders shaking as the tears that had been threatening finally burst forth, and he wept pathetically, sniffling and sniveling over her broken form.

He never heard the door open, or even bothered to check and see if he'd won the game. It was only when someone placed a large hand on his shoulder that he finally looked up to see Shinjiro standing over him, with Theodore hovering only a few few tables away.

"S-senpai," mumbled Junpei confusedly.

"Yeah," grunted Shinjiro. "It's me."

Helplessly, Junpei gestured at Yukari. "She…I…uh, I had to. She made me, I…oh, man, but she's still breathing, so-!"

"She's gonna be fine," interrupted Shinjiro firmly. "You did good. She's gonna be proud of you when she wakes up."

Suddenly, Junpei realized that he'd just been sobbing in front of one of his heroes. Somehow, it didn't seem to matter very much anymore.

"Come on," said Shinjiro, reaching down to help Junpei to his feet. "Let's go." He turned back towards Theodore, disgust written all over his face. "All right. We're ready."

This time, Junpei was positive that he saw Theodore wince as he turned away.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **That was a little…um, dark.

I, uh…I think maybe I need to go and do something fun for a bit. Brb.


	8. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Seven

**Author's Note: **So, I got a fair few hours into **Persona Q** before I decided that, quite unexpectedly, I hated it. I actually sold it an hour ago to a friend of mine, and I won't be bothering to finish it.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't still play it. You might really like it. This is just my opinion.

I, however, found it to be about as fun and entertaining as passing a particularly bad kidney stone. If you've never had a kidney stone, they aren't fun. They're…exceedingly painful.

Moving right along, here's another chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Theodore, Shinjiro and Junpei emerged from the Wild Duck Burger restaurant and out onto the streets of the fake Iwatodai Strip Mall. They found Elizabeth standing there waiting for them, and she fell into step beside Theodore as they all headed towards the glowing blue door that had appeared at some point in the side of one of the vacant shops.

"So," asked Theodore, turning to Elizabeth, "did you speak to her?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes. She has, of course, agreed. I knew that she would."

"Ah…very good," murmured Theodore. "I must say, I am quite relieved."

He glanced over his shoulder at Shinjiro, who just shot him a venomous look before turning away again.

Theodore sighed. "This becomes…more and more unpleasant," he murmured. "Though I know my duty, I find myself…questioning."

"Never question, brother," snapped Elizabeth. "It is not our place to doubt the path that fate has set before us."

"Yes, but…" Theodore frowned. "Do you really think so? Do you not, also, find this somewhat less than fair?"

For a moment, Elizabeth said nothing, and they walked on in silence.

"Fate is hardly a fair mistress," she murmured eventually, sounding just a little doubtful. "Yet…it is not for us to try and interpret the purposes of our Master. Not even he can be certain how all of this might turn out, in the end. In the end, we may find that we've been wrong all along. Perhaps this really is the best way."

"Perhaps," agreed Theodore slowly. "Yet, I…highly doubt that she would think so."

Elizabeth turned and shot him a sharp look. "She? Which 'she' are you referring to this time?"

Theodore cleared his throat a bit awkwardly before answering. "You know perfectly well which 'she' I refer to, sister. I'm speaking, of course, of our most renowned guest."

"Of course," echoed Elizabeth, with just a hint of mockery in her voice. "You think of her too often."

"Yes," agreed Theodore sadly. "Yes…I know."

Elizabeth sighed. "Ah, well," she said. "At any rate, it will all be over very soon, now. Do not despair."

Junpei suddenly jabbed Shinjiro hard in the ribs.

"Ow," muttered Shinjiro, glaring at him. "What the hell was that for?"

"Hey," hissed Junpei, ignoring the question. "What do you think they're talking about, up there?"

Shinjiro just shrugged. "Beats me," he muttered. "Why, you want to ask them? Be my guest. I doubt they'll tell you anything. Wouldn't want to give away the next part of the 'quest'.'"

"Uh…yeah, about that," mumbled Junpei. "Don't you kind of get the sense that they're about as ready to be done with this shit as we are? I mean, that guy in the blue doesn't exactly look happy."

"Doesn't seem to be stopping him from making us miserable as hell," retorted Shinjiro. "Don't worry about them. Just keep your eyes on the endgame. You know what's probably gonna happen next, right?"

"Y-yeah,"muttered Junpei, swallowing hard. "I…I guess."

"Good." Shinjiro nodded curtly. "Then when the time comes, I expect you to do what you gotta do."

For a moment, they walked on in silence. Junpei was obviously lost in intense thought.

"Uh…hey, senpai," he said eventually. "Akihiko-san, he…uh…he kinda let you win, right? I mean, um, no offense, or anything, I just-!"

"He wouldn't hit me," interrupted Shinjiro. "He was afraid I'd keel over if he did. Tch. No faith, that guy. Never trusts anybody, not even himself."

"Yeah, right." Junpei chewed unhappily on his lip.. "So, uh…if he wouldn't do it, what makes you think I'm gonna do it? I mean, I don't want to-!"

"I know you will," muttered Shinjiro. "You're a lot like Aki. You're both stubborn, but you're both obnoxiously loyal. When it comes to the one person you care about most, you won't back down."

"Uh…" Junpei just stared.

"Aki and I've known each other for years," continued Shinjiro, shrugging. "I guess you might say that we're best friends…sort of. Maybe that's what it means to have a best friend. Maybe friendship doesn't always have to be nice and sweet."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "You guys are pretty close, so-!"

"So," finished Shinjiro, "like I said, you're a lot like him. He wasn't gonna risk losing his best friend, and screw what that meant for everybody else. You're not gonna risk losing your best friend either. You're gonna fight for her. That's why I know you're gonna hit me."

Junpei didn't seem to have anything to say in response to that, but Shinjiro didn't care. Junpei's silence was enough of an answer to satisfy Shinjiro that things were all finally falling into place.

_It'll all be over so_on, he thought, echoing the snippet of conversation that he'd just overheard between Elizabeth and Theodore. _I guess that's for the best. This is how it's supposed to be…finally. _

"Um," began Junpei, "so, wait, you're okay with that? With…with me putting her first, I mean?"

Shinjiro nodded. "Wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

Junpei scratched thoughtfully at the back of his neck. "Yeah," he said, "that sort of brings me to the point, um…why exactly are you here?"

Shinjiro didn't have to answer that, because at that moment Elizabeth pulled open the shining blue door, and they all stepped through out onto the roof of Gekkoukan high school. The sky was blue, a gentle breeze was blowing, and the sun was shining, reminding Shinjiro horribly and yet perfectly of the last time he'd seen her face.

"This…place," mumbled Junpei. "It's our old school. This is, uh…this is where…"

He trailed off, and his whole face shut down. Shinjiro realized tat Junpei was doing his best to hold back a flood of emotion, and he mercifully pretended not to notice.

_Can't blame the guy, _he thought. _This whole 'quest' has been full of painful memories. Maybe this one's the worst. _

"Ah…welcome," murmured a voice. Shinjiro looked up into the sharp golden eyes of a tall, statuesque woman with long golden curls cascading down her back. She, too, was dressed in a brilliant, bizarre blue suit, but there was something more mature about the lines in her face that made Shinjiro think she had to be older than the other two Velvet Room goons.

"Sister," said Theodore, nodding to her. "We've brought them, as promised. Thank you for acquiescing so suddenly to our unusual request."

The woman just nodded. "It's all right, Theo, Elizabeth. You can leave them with me. Go, now. You've done enough."

She gave Theodore a smile that for just a moment relaxed her face into softer and gentler lines. Theodore coughed, nodded once, and then he and Elizabeth turned around and passed back through the door, leaving Junpei and Shinjiro alone with the strange woman.

"You seem to have made quite an unexpected impression on my brother," murmured the woman. "Well…no, perhaps it's not unexpected. After all, he and our renowned guest were quite close, in a way. You might say that he and your friend formed a bond of their very own. Naturally, he would be affected by your ordeal. He's going through something of an ordeal himself, at the moment."

"Uh," mumbled Junpei, obviously at a loss.

"My name," continued the woman, "is Margaret. I am she who rules over power; the eldest of my siblings. As Theodore finds himself struggling to continue on your quest, he has asked me to take his place. I will be guiding you both through the final steps of your journey."

"Wait," interrupted Junpei. "Just how many of you Velvet guys are there?"

Margaret smiled. "You have met all three of us, now. That makes you quite special, you know. I believe you might be the very first guests to have been properly introduced to all three of the residents of the Velvet Room."

"Lucky us," muttered Shinjiro sarcastically. "Let's get a move on. What's this 'last part' of our journey?"

Margaret paused, then looked directly into his eyes. Her gaze was harsh, almost piercing, and after a moment Shinjiro found himself forced to look away.

"I'm certain you already know what my Master will be asking of you," she said quietly. "Haven't you already worked it out for yourself?"

Junpei sighed. "Damnit," he said. "You're gonna make us fight each other after all. Is that it?"

"Yes," agreed Margaret, nodding. "You will face each other in a battle of strength and will. If you already knew, then why did you ask?"

Shinjiro ignored the question.

"Just tell me one thing," he demanded. "What the hell is this all for? I get that this guy Theodore doesn't want any part of it. Fine. So, then your 'Master' is the sadistic bastard who's running this game? Igor, right? What kind of perverted entertainment is he getting out of this?"

"Oh…no, I'm afraid you're mistaken," murmured Margaret, not seeming even remotely upset about it. "My Master, too, is only doing as he has been instructed."

"Yeah?" Shinjiro frowned. "Instructed by who?"

This time, Margaret shrugged. "I'm not at liberty to discuss that. Please understand that there is nothing sadistic or entertaining about this ordeal you must endure. None of us are here for our own amusement. The truth is that the unusual strength of your bonds has aroused a certain curiosity. Your journey here is really a test; a test to see just how strong your links to each other are, and how much stress and strain they are capable of enduring. We have never seen anything quite like you all before. Although we've witnessed the end of everything countless times in countless universes and through the passage of many, many different times, you are the only ones to have so successfully maintained an everlasting connection with each other."

"I…don't get it," mumbled Junpei. "'Countless universes? Times? What are you talking about?"

"Are you saying," asked Shinjiro, "that you've seen the end before? The end of the world…this isn't the first time it's happened?"

"Hmm…" Margaret pursed her lips in thought. "That's almost correct. The truth is that this universe, the one in which you live, isn't the first to suffer the end. It won't be the last. Millions of myriad strands hang from the threads of fate; yours is only one of many. In other another parallel world, in another identical time, one very much alike and akin to your own, the world has ended, and ended and ended…it has done so over and over again, and every single time the world has ended, I have watched the aftermath. What became of you, or rather, of your counterparts in other times, was disappointing. You drifted apart, went your separate ways, slowly distanced yourselves from one another and moved on with your lives, as you should have done. It is only now, here, in this universe and in this time that you seem…strangely and eternally linked, as though no amount of trial or distance would be able to fray your soldered bonds. My Master suspects that it may be this girl, this guest of ours who is the cause of that phenomenon. Whereas in every other universe, you failed to completely and fully connect with one another, this girl, this Minako allowed you to forge even stronger bonds, not only with her, but with each other as well. You became a team of unparalleled force and loyalty; a team that could endure any ends and overcome any hardships due to her influence on your lives. It's remarkable, the intense intimacy that you've achieved. Don't you feel it?"

She raised an eyebrow, and Shinjiro and Junpei stood silently for a moment, trying to take it all in.

"We, uh…y-yeah, I guess we're pretty close," said Junpei eventually, his voice echoing loudly in the awkward surrounding silence. "But, I mean, we haven't seen each other in a while. We barely even bother to keep in touch, anymore, so it's not like-!"

"I don't think it matters," murmured Margaret. "Haven't you noticed that even after years of lost contact, you still fight together as though your hearts were one? If it weren't so, then the two of you would surely never have made it this far."

Shinjiro glanced at Junpei, who opened his mouth, closed it, and then just shook his head helplessly.

"I'm uh…honestly, I'm still kind of confused by the whole 'other universes' thing," he sighed. "Are we talking about aliens? Like, we're 'not alone' out there?"

"She's not talking about aliens," muttered Shinjiro. "It's not like that at all."

"Oh, yeah?" Junpei turned on him. "Are you getting this, senpai? Can you, uh…explain it to me? You know, maybe in a way that actually makes sense?"

Margaret laughed lightly.

"Forgive me," she said. "I've said too much. None of this is really important, is it? What matters right now is that you finish your journey and finally retrieve your friend. You're very close to the end. Now, all that's left is your final battle…one more ordeal to prove the strength of your bonds. I admit, I'm a little excited. I'm curious to see this intimacy in action."

With that, she took a step back, and held both arms out wide in front of her, nodding at them both.

"I don't have any more instructions for you," she informed them. "Only know that this must be a real battle. After all, it is your final fight. You won't be permitted to get away with just 'pretending' this time. I want to see a good, fair fight, gentlemen."

Again, she smiled. It was a genuinely pleasant, friendly smile, but Shinjiro still felt a little shiver of horror run down his spine as he watched her.

"Whenever you're ready, then," she murmured. "On your marks…get set…and begin."

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note: **

Almost done!

I will take this time to get down on my knees and beg. I see that some of you are reading, and that makes me so happy! Thank you so much for taking the time to check out my little story. Please, let me know how I'm doing! What do you like? What don't you like? Which characters would you like to see more of? What story elements would you like me to include? What is your favorite pairing? Please, share your thoughts and opinions with me!

I would be so delighted and tickled if you'd take the time to review. I respond personally to every review that I receive, and I take your opinions and feelings strongly into account as I write. I like to think of this as sort of a social writing experience!

Here, I'll leave you with this terrible haiku:

**Lonely Ari writes**

**Sad persona prose alone**

**Won't you please review? **

Feel the pathos. Feel the angst. Take pity on poor lonely Ari, sitting up at four o'clock in the morning, doing her grad school homework and listening to the tick of the clock.

Leave a review. It'd be your good deed for the day. I'd appreciate it.


	9. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Eight

**Author's Note: **You guys…are the best readers in the whole world. Seriously, I didn't expect you to actually review when I asked! You are wonderful, insightful and encouraging, and you absolutely made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time. I'm all fired up to keep writing, now!

Let's commence with an All Out Attack on chapter eight, shall we?

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**Chapter Eight**

At first, neither Junpei nor Shinjiro did anything. They just stood there staring at each other, and Junpei felt like his feet were rooted to the floor, and like he couldn't tear his eyes away from the set, hard look on Shinjiro's face.

"All right," muttered Shinjiro, slowly holding his evoker up to the side of his head. "Are you ready for this? Let's go."

"Aw, crap," whispered Junpei. "S-senpai…hey, hang on a second!"

Shinjiro didn't wait. Instead, he fired the evoker into the side of his head and then grunted, screwing up his face in obvious pain as his persona shot out of him and took its place in front of him like a hulking, twisted bodyguard. It squared its shoulders and prepared itself for battle, while behind it, Shinjiro took a quick breath, then straightened himself up and returned his attention to Junpei.

"I already told you," Shinjiro reminded Junpei. "You better do what you have to do to win this fight. I'm not going easy on you, and I'm expecting you to give as good as you get. Don't hold back. She's waiting for you."

"Whoa, whoa!" Junpei took a couple of steps back, holding both hands out in front of him in protective protest." Come on, seriously? Do we…really have to do this?"

He glanced over his shoulder at Margaret, who just smiled, and nodded.

"I believe I made the terms of victory perfectly clear," she told him.

"Gah," mumbled Junpei. "This sucks."

"Rrgh!" Without another word, Shinjiro threw himself at Junpei, dodging around his persona to take a swing at Junpei's unprotected neck with his axe.

"Holy shit!" Junpei dodged out of the way, but barely managed to avoid the edge of Shinjiro's axe. "This can't be happening. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to hit me," retorted Shinjiro, taking a moment to catch his breath. "If we don't do this, then everything we've been through so far's gonna be worth nothing. Is that what you want? You want to give up, now? Is that what Yukari wanted when she trusted you with her life?"

Again, he lunged forward. This time, Junpei didn't manage to dodge in time, and he suffered a bad blow to the shoulder. As the wound started to bleed, he winced and clutched at the injured arm.

"Nngh," he mumbled. "Senpai…"

"Minako's waiting for you," repeated Shinjiro around a wheezing breath. "What do you think she'd say if she was here?"

"Uh…I think she'd be screaming at us to stop acting like a pair of meatheads," mumbled Junpei desperately. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what she'd say."

Shinjiro snorted a short, mirthless little laugh. "Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right about that. Still."

This time, he stood back and let his Persona do the work. Caster charged forward, slashing at Junpei's already injured shoulder. Again, Junpei took a hit, and this time, it burned like hell.

"Not cool, man," he muttered as the pain intensified. "Not fair."

"Life's not fair," snapped Shinjiro. "None of this shit is fair. You want a fair fight? Then fight me, damnit. Fight for her like she fought for you."

Shinjiro started forward again with his axe held high, but he had to stop mid-rush to catch his breath and clutch at his side for a moment. He started coughing, and once he'd started he didn't seem to be able to stop for a good few seconds.

"Hell," he whispered, looking annoyed. "This body ain't what it used to be. Not sure I can give you a fair fight after all…but I'm gonna give you whatever I've still got. Castor!"

As Castor prepared for another assault, Junpei thought fast. He could see the veins standing out in Shinjiro's neck, and could almost hear the rapid beating of Shinjiro's overtaxed heart.

_He's still sick as hell, _thought Junpei desperately. _He didn't get healed, either, after the last few battles. He's injured, and he's overdoing it. Jeez, he's been overdoing it since we got here. If I just stand here and dodge his attacks all day, maybe I won't have to fight him, but he'll end up killing himself anyway, no matter what I do. The longer this goes on, the worse it's gonna be for him. Maybe if I end it fast,we'll at least be able to get him out of here and get him some real help. I dunno, though…it looks pretty bad._

Junpei looked up into Shinjiro's bloodshot eyes, and for a moment, they stood still like that, staring each other down.

_Minako, _realized Junpei suddenly. _If there's anybody who can help him now, it's Minako. She's the only one who ever made him see reason before, anyway. Maybe she can heal him. Maybe she can get us out of here. Maybe…nah, forget maybe. We need her. We've always needed her. Without her, we're just a bunch of assholes acting like heroes in the dark. _

"Okay," muttered Junpei, nodding slowly. "I get it. I'm coming. You better be ready for the Junpei inferno."

He grabbed his evoker, put it to his head and fired. Trismegistus materialized immediately, and fired a blast of searing-hot flames directly at Shinjiro's chest, not bothering to wait for Junpei's order, but responding instead to the resolve in his heart.

Shinjiro gasped in pain as his body was engulfed in flames. When the fires died away, however, he was smiling.

"N-nice," he muttered. "Finally. Now…let's do this for real."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei, steeling himself and nodding once. "All right. I'm coming for you. Kyaaaaaaah!"

Junpei launched an attack with his blade, and Shinjiro countered by blocking with his axe. They wrestled for a few minutes with their weapons, locked together in combat until Junpei finally stumbled back and out of harm's way.

"Damn," he panted.

Shinjiro grinned. "Still got it…sorta."

Again, Junpei lunged forward, and this time, Shinjiro dodged around him and cut at his other, still healthy shoulder. Junpei managed to avoid the attack, but tripped in the process and landed on Shinjiro's outstretched foot. On the way down, he took a stab at Shinjiro's chest with his sword, and ended up cutting Shinjiro hard across the leg. Shinjiro fell down as well, and then rolled out of the way, stumbling back to his feet and breathing hard as he tried desperately to summon his persona to the attack again.

"Castor," he hissed around shallow breaths, his whole body trembling. "A…kasha Arts."

"Aw, hell," muttered Junpei. "Really? Doesn't that kind of seem like overkill?"

Still lying on the ground, he wasn't able to maneuver out of the way in time. Castor cut downward with his sword, striking Junpei twice across the middle and winding him at the same time. Junpei lay still for a second, trying to get his bearings and to figure out his next move. At the same time, Shinjiro stepped back and held his sides, bleeding and shaking as he struggled to get a hold of himself and to stay upright.

"What if I give up now, huh?" Out of the corner of his eye, Junpei glanced at the perversely placid-looking Margaret. "Can we…call it a draw, here?"

Margaret only shook her head. "The battle must continue until one of you is totally incapacitated," she reminded him. "I'm terribly sorry."

"Let's…end this now," managed Shinjiro, slowly refocusing his eyes on Junpei. "Bring it…on."

The wound on Shinjiro's leg was pouring blood, and Shinjiro's face had gone completely white.

_If I hit him again, _realized Junpei, _I'm gonna kill him. It'll be over, but…hell, is it worth it? Is this really what she'd want? There's just no way. _

"Come on," taunted Shinjiro desperately, trying to grin and only managing a half-hearted, lopsided grimace. "What's taking you so long? You worried I…can't take it? You just wait. I'm…a fighter. I can take anything you throw at me! Let's…go."

Junpei shivered, partly from the pain of his own injuries, and partly due to the creepy_, _perversely happy look on Shinjiro's twisted face.

_The guy's like a berserker, _he realized. _He's not gonna quit, cause he's got no fear. Wish I could say the same for me._

"Not coming?" Shinjiro shrugged. "All right, then. I guess I'll have to bring the fight…to you. NNGAAAH!"

Abruptly, he started forward, axe held high. Junpei hadn't been expecting the sudden lunge, and knew he couldn't get out of the way in time. He held up his sword in front of him to deflect the blow, realizing as he did so that the counter-blow from metal hitting metal would probably push Shinjiro back and sending him flying to the ground with the force of his own offensive onslaught.

"Senpai," gasped Junpei.

Shinjiro just shook his head.

"This," he insisted as his axe started to come down on Junpei's sword. "This…is how it should have been. She was never supposed to be the one. It should have been me. Now…I'm gonna set things right."

Junpei shut his eyes involuntarily. For a moment, the world went dark as he listened for the sound of steel clashing against steel.

Instead, he heard a familiar voice echoing in his mind, in the air around him and somehow deep within his soul at the same time.

_STOP! _

Junpei's eyes flew open in surprise. "Uh," he whispered incredulously, "Mina…?"

Shinjiro's blow had never connected with Junpei's sword. Instead, there was now something standing in between Junpei and Shinjiro; something that definitely hadn't been there before.

"Wha," panted Shinjiro, staring. "What the hell…?"

In between Junpei and Shinjiro there was now a beautiful statue of a girl, wearing a ponytail and dressed in what looked like the Gekkoukan school uniform. She had both arms stretched out at her sides, one hand resting on Shinjiro's chest, and the other pressed to Junpei's chest, so that neither Shinjiro nor Junpei could reach the other. Dangling around her neck was a familiar-looking keychain with a tiny pink, smiling pig on it. She had a pair of high-tech looking headphones on her ears, a simple leather wristwatch on her left wrist, and countless other small, precious objects draped all over her stone form.

Shinjiro froze. "You," he mumbled. "You're…"

There was suddenly a weird lump in Junpei's throat, and he had trouble choking the words out around it.

"Hey, Mina-tan," he managed finally, smiling at the pig keychain around the statue's neck. "So…you held on to it all this time, huh? I guess I'm flattered. Guess you've always had my back. Thanks."

Taking a step away from the stone hand, Junpei dropped his sword to the ground and his persona vanished back into the recesses of his soul.

"You heard our leader," he said, turning back to Shinjiro and shrugging. "She said to stop. Can't disobey a direct order, senpai."

"Right," grunted Shinjiro, laying his axe carefully down on the ground next to him, and then sitting down beside it, looking exhausted but never once taking his eyes off of the statue of Minako. "I guess not."

"My, my," murmured Margaret in surprise, coming towards them and peering curiously at the statue. "This is unexpected. I had no idea your bonds were THAT strong. I'd never have believed it. I must summon my Master, of course. He will want to see this with his own eyes."

She held up a hand and closed her eyes. Instantly, the world around Junpei began to swim and sway. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, and frantically tried to keep his eyes open, not sure what was happening but positive that now wasn't a good time to pass out.

When the world stopped swimming and reality returned to normal, Junpei realized that there were several new people in the room. Igor was now standing at Margaret's side, staring with great interest at the silent statue. Behind him Mitsuru, Aigis, Ken, Koromaru, Akihiko and Yukari were all slowly getting up off of the floor, shaking their heads and gazing around in surprise at each other. All around them, the roof of Gekkoukan High School seemed to have vanished, and they were again all standing in the middle of the bright blue Velvet Room.

"Ah," murmured Igor, looking extremely pleased. "It is even better than I had hoped. Fascinating. The power of your bonds is indeed quite strong. To think that you could have summoned her here…simply by calling out to her with the combined strength of your hearts. Truly remarkable…and, in fact, totally unprecedented."

"Yuka-tan!" Junpei rushed over to where Yukari was now standing, looking dazed. "Hey, are you okay? Does it hurt, still?"

Yukari just shook her head. "No…no, I'm fine. I think I'm…all healed, now, actually. It's, um, kind of weird. I don't remember seeing a healer, or using any magic. I don't' remember anything after I blacked out, actually. I just woke up, and I was here. Did we…did we win?"

"Shinji," gasped Akihiko." You made it. You…look like hell, though."

Shinjiro snorted a laugh, then coughed. "Yeah, I bet I do," he agreed "You look pretty good, though. Doesn't seem right. Oh well."

"Senpai!" Yukari grasped at Mitsuru's sleeve. "Are you all better? No more poison? How do you feel?"

"Uh, we're okay, I think," replied Ken, obviously still a little bit out of it.

"The poison no longer seems to be effecting our systems," agreed Aigis. "My sensors indicate that all members of SEES are now operating at one-hundred-percent effectiveness. Health levels appear normal."

"Does this mean that we've won?" Mitsuru glanced back and forth between Yukari and the others. "Is it over? Has everyone returned safely?"

"Wait," asked Yukari, her eyes going wide. "Did you say ALL members of SEES? You mean…?"

She spun around, to look at Junpei. Junpei, in turn, looked over at the statue of Minako.

Igor smiled up at him.

"You've all done very well," he informed them. "The bonds that exist between each of you are more than strong enough to serve our purposes. I admit, I am surprised, but delighted that we have discovered something yet new and unexpected about our most valued guest."

"Huh?" Junpei frowned. "Wait, back up, there."

"You said that our bonds were 'strong enough for your purposes," interrupted Mitsuru. "What 'purpose' exactly, are you referring to?"

Margaret sighed.

"Unfortunately," she said, still smiling, "this is probably going to hurt quite a bit. I recommend that you brace yourselves."

"Hurt? Hey, what's going to-?" Junpei started to protest, but never had a chance to finish his sentence.

Before he could get the rest of the words out, Junpei suddenly felt a terrible, searing pain in his chest. No…no, it wasn't in his chest. It was somewhere deeper, somewhere less tangible. He felt it in his head at the same time, in his heart, in his mind, and deep, deep within his soul. It seared his brain, scorched his heart, and for what felt like several long, horrible moments of agony it prevented him from being able to breathe.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Beside him, Yukari screamed.

"This is...? What's happening," muttered Mitsuru desperately. "This terrible feeling…what have you done to us?"

"Not here," grunted Shinjiro. "Not…now. Nngh…"

Slowly, Junpei felt his knees buckling. He collapsed to the ground, and so did each of the others, until only Margaret and Igor were still standing around the statue of Minako.

Margaret just shook her head and pursed her lips. "I did warn you that it was going to be painful," she admonished them. "I'm terribly sorry about this. Don't worry…it will all be over very soon."

"Or," murmured Igor. "Perhaps, finally, it is ready to begin…"

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note:**

Don't get too excited. It's actually really simple, and this isn't that fair a place for a cliff hanger, since the conclusion isn't really going to be that jarring. I just really needed to leave for work, and this seemed lke the most reasonable place to end the chapter.

I do at least promise to explain everything in the next chapter. Oooh, and we're going to get to see Minato, sort of. That's something to look forward to, right?


	10. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Nine

**Author's Note: **Ahhh, Friday! Finally, I have a few minutes to myself.

…Just kidding, I have to go to an office party. *sigh*

Before I leave, I'll post this. Sorry, this chapter is very talky and theoretical, but I guess every persona game has a little bit of that. Par for the course.

Now, I know that some of my conjectures and interpretations may differ from yours, and I'd love to talk about that with you! Please let me know what you think, but let's keep the conversation friendly. Cool? All right, let's do this!

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Mitsuru wasn't sure how much time had passed when she finally woke up again. She opened her eyes to find herself staring at the ceiling of the Velvet Room, her mind still cloudy with the memory of that terrible, searing pain. As far as she could tell, the pain itself was gone, now, leaving only a dull, jarring ache somewhere deep inside of her that made her squirm. It felt as though some invisible hand was, quite literally, tugging on her heartstrings, clenching its fingers around her heart and pulling.

"What is the meaning of this?" Groggily, she sat up and blinked around. Yukari, Junpei, Akihiko and the others were all slowly starting to wake up as well, although they all looked just about as confused and unsettled as she felt.

"Ah," murmured Igor from his seat behind the blue velvet table, on the soft-looking crushed blue sofa. "I see you have awakened at last."

Beside him stood Theodore, Elizabeth, and Margaret, all watching expectantly as the former SEES members awkwardly struggled to their feet.

"I demand an explanation," snapped Mitsuru, turning on the three denizens of the Velvet Room and planting both hands on her hips, trying to ignore the weird, leftover dizziness in her head. "What was that terrible feeling, and what was your purpose in bringing us all here and subjecting us to this miserable and violent series of tortures? You promised us that you would return our leader. Where is she? Tell us immediately."

"Please," began Theodore placatingly, "there really is no cause for alarm."

Elizabeth looked surprised. "Oh, my, so many questions! Which do you want us to answer first?"

From somewhere behind Mitsuru, Shinjiro coughed a few times and then spoke up.

"Tell us," he said, "what this was all about. What kind of game are you guys playing, here?"

"I assure you," said Margaret calmly, "that none of us is playing a game."

"Oh, yeah?" Shinjiro raised a doubtful eyebrow. "Then what the hell-?"

"As I've already told you," continued Margaret as though Shinjiro hadn't spoken at all, "we brought you here in order to have you demonstrate for us the strength of your bonds."

Elizabeth nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, and you did quite well. We are all very impressed…aren't we, brother?"

Theodore made a slightly disgruntled sound in his throat, and looked as though he might be about to object to that.

"Test our strength?" Shinjiro scowled." What the hell did you want to do that for? Haven't we been through enough?"

"H-hey, wait just one second, here. " Junpei looked like he was, uncharacteristically, thinking really hard. "Man, this just doesn't add up. You wanted to 'test the strength of our bonds' right? So, how come you had us try to kill each other? I mean…you wanted to see how good we are at getting along, so why'd you have us fight? That doesn't make any sense."

"Good point, Iori," murmured Mitsuru. "The actions of these people do seem inconsistent with their explanation."

"With all due respect," said Theodore, smiling again, "permit me to disagree. You were truly quite remarkable." His eyes sparkled for a moment with real enthusiasm. "Despite every challenge my Master designed for you, you managed to consistently overcome each obstacle without sustaining any permanent casualties. The fact that you have all returned here safely proves that your bonds are, indeed, just as strong as we had all eagerly hoped."

"Um…nope, I don't get it." Yukari sighed.

Theodore nodded, and went on. "It's very simple really. We presented you with two options. You were to fight your beloved friends and comrades until one of you was severely injured, or you were to abandon the quest and forfeit the lives of those comrades who lay, still dying of poison on the lowest level. If you had chosen to abandon your quest, you would also have given up on the life of your leader. Unwilling to sacrifice any of your number, you forged ahead, forcing yourselves to sustain injuries and to do terrible things that went against the very core principles of your soul." He glanced over at Yukari, looking extremely pleased. "Some of you chose to commit your lives into the hands of others, in order to protect the rest of your number." Then, he turned to look at Akihiko. "Others of you found yourselves unable to proceed due to a certain concern over the health of one of your party. Those chose to stay behind and to accept terrible injuries so that the others could proceed."

"You see," added Margaret, "you really have done very well." Now, she smiled.

Yukari's mouth dropped open, and for a moment she just stared at Igor. "That's…that's what you call 'proving our bonds?' We won because we managed to fight each other without actually killing each other?"

"That is…one way of putting it, certainly," agreed Theodore.

Yukari glared. "I think I hate you," she muttered "Yeah. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I hate you."

"So," interrupted Shinjiro, "what was the point? You still haven't explained what this was really all about. Where's Minako?"

The others all nodded, and began muttering amongst themselves, until the Velvet Room had erupted into a dull roar. Igor held up his hand for quiet, and slowly, one by one, the rest of the former members of SEES fell silent and turned to watch him expectantly.

"It would be best, I think," interrupted Igor quietly, "if we started from the very beginning. You are all, I take it, familiar with the purpose of the Great Seal?"

Junpei nodded. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Obviously. It's the thing that keeps that Erebus monster from ending the world, right? Mina-tan…she's been holding that Seal thing together all this time."

Fuuka sighed. "Poor Minako-chan," she said sadly. "Bearing an awful burden like that, all alone…"

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko, nodding slowly. "Nobody should have to face an ordeal like that alone. She's always been like that, though…taking everything on herself. Doesn't matter what anybody says. Never did."

"Sounds like someone else I know," mumbled Shinjiro, shooting Akihiko a quick look. Akihiko ignored him.

"You wish, I take it," murmured Igor, "to relieve her of some of that burden, do you not? If you could, would you share the duties of the Great Seal with her, removing some of the onus from her shoulders, no matter how hard that task might ultimately prove to be?"

For a moment, everyone looked around the room at each other. Then Yukari frowned, turned back to Igor and nodded.

"Yes," she said. "I know we would. If there was any way that we could help, then…I don't think anyone would have any objections."

"Obviously," muttered Shinjiro. "But, I guess you already knew that we'd say yes, right?"

Theodore smiled. "I…had hoped," he admitted. "It is rude, however, to make baseless assumptions."

"Baseless?" Junpei blinked at him in surprise. "Um, we just beat the living shit out of each other trying to prove how much we wanted her back. That wasn't enough for you? What do you need us to do, a song and dance routine?"

"Mitsuru-senpai is right," agreed Aigis. "Further explanation of your inexplicable conduct is indeed in order."

"Very well," agreed Igor, his eyes dancing. "You are aware, then, of the power of social links; the strength inherent in the bonds that you form with other people? Our most excellent guest and your treasured friend was able to form the Great Seal due to the power she wielded; a power that she gleaned from the strong and unbreakable bonds that she has formed with all of you. The strength of your devotion to her and her connection to you is what has, all along, served to stave off the coming of the End. The barrier between this world and the arrival of Erebus is forged from the bonds you have all formed. Have I made that clear?"

"Um…we knew that already," mumbled Ken. "This isn't exactly an 'explanation' of what we've been doing, here."

"Please, have patience," admonished Elizabeth, still smiling. "My Master is coming to that."

"Get to the point already," grunted Shinjiro.

"All in good time," returned Igor placidly. "I believe that Margaret has already told you that we have discovered something…special about your bonds. Yours is the only universe in which you have managed to form such strong, unbending bonds, not only with your beloved leader, but also with one another."

"Yeah," muttered Junpei. "Uh, about that 'universe,' thing...I still don't get it. We're NOT talking about aliens, right? Because, when you say 'other universes,' I think of, like, galaxies full of creepy green things with four eyes. 'We are not alone,' you know?"

"Um," suggested Ken, giving Junpei a sidelong, disappointed look, "Junpei-senpai…maybe you should shut up."

"Huh? Hey, what-?" Junpei looked startled. "Come on, Ken…not you, too!"

Yukari snorted a derisive little laugh, and Junpei glared at her.

"Your universe," Igor was saying, "is only one of many, myriad universes, all running parallel to one another, all tied together by fate but otherwise divergent, linked by similar events but each very slightly different from one another. In this universe, following your journey through time, you successfully managed to prevent the coming of Nyx, and to defer the end of the world. In some other universes, you succeeded in the same quest. In yet others, you failed, and the world ended."

This time, no one seemed to have anything intelligent to say.

"We…um, what?" Yukari just stared.

"A parallel universe," murmured Aigis thoughtfully. "Many universes, similar but not identical to our own. It is a theory that has been put forward many times by scientists, although they were ultimately discredited and ridiculed for their far-fetched, seemingly unfounded ideas."

"What?" Junpei's mouth fell open. "You're actually taking this guy seriously? Other universes? How is that even possible?"

"As I have just said," murmured Aigis. "The theory has some scientific basis, although it has never been conclusively proven."

"So," interjected Akihiko, frowning like he was still trying to work some things out in his head, "what you're saying is, uh…hang on, you're telling me that there's some other world out there where everything happened exactly the way it happened here, only…only we didn't save the world? The world ended, and everybody died after all? Nyx won?"

Everyone turned to stare at Akihiko.

"Uh, what?" He flushed slightly. "What are you all looking at me, for? Did I get it wrong?"

"N-no, it's not that, "mumbled Fuuka, fidgeting awkwardly with her own clasped hands. "It's just…isn't this kind of a lot take in, all at once? I…I can't even really imagine it. A whole other universe, just like ours…"

"More than one other universe," corrected Aigis mechanically. "As Igor-san has already stated, the possibilities of parallel universes are, theoretically, endless. Everything that might have occurred in our world has, in fact, occurred somewhere else, in another, parallel world. Every possibility has been explored in a separate universe."

"Jeez," muttered Shinjiro, looking annoyed.

"Wow, Ai-san." Junpei, on the other hand, looked impressed." You sure know a lot about this stuff."

"Forgive me," said Igor, "But I seem to be getting ahead of myself. Perhaps I had better show you an example. Margaret?"

Margaret dutifully nodded, then stepped forward and raised one hand languidly in the air. Around her hand, the atmosphere began to twist and change, and suddenly there was an incredibly clear, almost photographic image hovering just a few inches above her outstretched fingers. It was the image of a young man with dark blue-black hair and a vaguely bored sort of look on his pale, fine-featured face.

"Ah, here," murmured Igor. "Do any of you recognize this person?"

"Um…n-no," mumbled Ken. "He, uh, doesn't look familiar."

Junpei frowned." Actually, he kind of looks like a douchebag. Don't ask me why; I just get this sort of weird feeling about him, you know? Maybe he looks like somebody I've seen before…or, hey, maybe he reminds of somebody from a movie. Yeah, now that I think about it, he looks kinda like one of those asshole action heroes from kids manga who's always being a meat-headed stoic, and treating everybody like shit, but everybody falls in love with him anyway. Uh, but…nah, I don't know the guy."

Igor only smiled, and then nodded at Margaret.

Margaret snapped her fingers, and the image changed. This time, the picture was one of that same blue-haired boy, but he was standing alongside a familiar girl with short brown hair in a pink sweater.

"Eek!" Yukari shrieked and both of her hands flew to her mouth." What's going on, here? That's…that's ME, isn't it?"

Igor just nodded. "It seems so."

"But…what am I doing with that guy?" Yukari shook her head emphatically. "I've never seen him before in my life."

"As a matter of fact," murmured Elizabeth unhelpfully, "you have. You two were quite close…in another universe."

Igor again looked at Margaret, and again, Margaret snapped her fingers. Again, the image changed, and this timing fe Mitsuru was startled to see an image of herself, blushing faintly pink as the blue-haired boy leaned over to whisper something into her ear.

She cleared her throat, trying not to let herself be embarrassed by baseless, floating images. "Am I to understand from this," she began around her confusion, "that I, too, know this individual? We have met in some other universe, I take it?"

"Well…you haven't exactly met, per se," murmured Elizabeth thoughtfully. "As a matter of fact, if we're being specific, then another version of you in an alternate time met this man, who, in that alternate time, was your leader."

Mitsuru blinked. "I'm…sorry?'

"Say WHAT?" Junpei scratched unhappily at his head, looking exhausted. "Man, this is getting worse and worse. That dude's not our leader. I mean…Mina-tan's our leader, right? We're all in agreement, here? That guy is definitely nothing like her."

"It is an interesting trick of fate," murmured Igor, "but Elizabeth is correct. In several alternate universes, this man served as the leader of the group you call 'SEES.' He seems to be the only member of your group who differs across the universes. All of the rest of your personalities appear to present in all other known parallel universes…for a time, at least."

For some reason, Igor turned to gaze thoughtfully at Shinjiro.

"What the hell are you staring at me like that for?" Shinjiro scowled, and turned away. "Knock it off."

"So, let me get this straight," interrupted Akihiko, still obviously trying to stay on top of the conversation. "This guy, this 'other leader' led a team of people just like us in a totally different universe. For whatever reason, his group, his 'SEES' didn't manage to defeat Nyx, and so the world ended. Their world, not ours."

"Sometimes, their world ended," agreed Igor placidly. "In some universes, they failed. In others, they succeeded."

"I…what?" Akihiko sighed." Damn. I was so sure that I had it, too."

"Hey," demanded Junpei, shaking his head. "Forget all this 'alternate universe' crap. I have a question. What's all this got to do with us? Why should we care, and where does Minako come in? This is all supposed to be about Minako, right?"

Shinjiro snorted a laugh. "Everything always is."

Yukari shot him a disappointed look. "Hey, senpai…!"

"Our guest, Minako," began Theodore, "possessed one quality which this other leader lacked. While he was a great man, he failed to forge true bonds with many of you; or rather, with many of the members of his team. He led them into battle bravely, and for that, they deeply respected him. He failed, however, to understand many of them on an intimate level known as true friendship."

"He kept his distance," agreed Margaret, nodding. "That distance prevented him from helping them to form the unbreakable bond with each other that you all seem to have so successfully and remarkably formed. Your leader seems to have created a much more powerful connection, both with each of you and between you all."

"Your hearts are now one," finished Elizabeth. "Your leader loved each of you, and the love you felt for her helped to create a common ground between you all."

Mitsuru nodded. "I believe I understand. You are saying that, due to Arisato's influence on each of our lives, we are a stronger team than we otherwise might have been."

Igor frowned for a moment, drumming his long fingers idly on the tabletop in front of him. "You are," he said eventually, "at least a team with stronger ties to one another. It is that shared bond of strength that allows me to grant your wish; to provide you with the chance to lift some of the burden from off of our beloved guest's shoulders."

"What do you mean?" Fuuka frowned. "Lift the burden? Does…does that mean that…?"

"Please, listen carefully," interrupted Igor gently. "I will present you with this chance only once. You are not obligated to accept. You may walk out of this room at any time, and go back to the lives that you led before you came here. Once you have made your decision, however, there is no turning back. You will not be given another opportunity."

Mitsuru glanced over at Akihiko, who was looking uncertainly at Shinjiro.

"So…we're going to help Minako-san?" Suddenly, there was a light in Ken's eyes that made him look much more mature than his thirteen years. "We're going to help lift her burden, right?"

"We'll be helping to hold the Great Seal," whispered Fuuka. "Oh…oh my."

"Holy shit." Junpei's eyes had gone wide. "Are we…are we gonna die?"

"Oh, I don't believe that will be necessary," Theodore assured him genially. "After all, there are nine of you; ten, if we include our valued guest. The strength of ten hearts is far greater than the strength of just one."

Junpei nodded. "So, then…we're not gonna die? No 'permanent casualties,' right?"

For some reason, none of the denizens of the Velvet Room chose to answer that question.

"And, so?" Igor raised one eyebrow. "What is your decision? You may choose your path of your own free will, but, again, you will have only have the chance to choose once. Whatever you choose, you must be prepared to accept responsibility for your actions…as she did."

"Responsibility, huh?" Shinjiro looked thoughtful, but said nothing more.

Mitsuru took a deep breath.

"I…believe that we may need some time to think about this," she said quietly. "We shall have to talk it over amongst ourselves, and create at-!"

"Forget it," muttered Shinjiro. "I'll do it."

He stepped forward, looking drained but resolute.

"Shinji," murmured Akihiko.

"Don't try to stop me," retorted Shinjiro without even looking at Akihiko. "You know this is the way it's always supposed to have been. I'm not giving up this chance, no matter what you say. I gotta do this."

Slowly, Akihiko nodded, frowning to himself. "Yeah," he mumbled. "Yeah…maybe you're right."

Without another word, he strode over and stood at Shinji's side.

"I'm in, too," he said, turning to Igor.

"This is sorta starting to feel familiar," whispered Yukari." Didn't we do something like this only a little while ago?"

"Hey, Aki," said Shinjiro, looking startled. "What are you doing? You don't have to be part of this. You're not like l me. You've still got the rest of your life ahead of you."

Akihiko shrugged, doing his best to look nonchalant, and only sort of succeeding. "Don't sweat it. That guy Theodore said we wouldn't have to die for it, remember?"

"Uh, actually, he said 'probably,'" Junpei piped up. "That's…kind of a big difference, you know?"

"Besides," continued Akihiko, "I'm tired of Minako having all the fun, up there. If that Erebus guy does come back, I want a piece of the action, too."

"Tch," snorted Shinjiro. "Whatever. Do what you want."

Mitsuru thought that Shinjiro looked just a little bit relieved, but she would never have been tactless enough to says such a thing aloud.

"All right," said Yukari, walking over to join Shinjiro and Akihiko. "Then I'm ready, too. This is what we came for, isn't it? We said that we were going to get Minako back…and I'm not ready to give up, yet."

"Yeah…yeah, me too!" Ken hurried over to join her. "I've been waiting for so long. I want to show her the man that I've become."

"I know that she'll be proud of you, Ken-kun," murmured Fuuka as she, too, strode over to stand with the others. "You've already grown so much!"

"Arf," announced Koromaru, bounding to Ken's side and licking at his hand enthusiastically.

Fuuka giggled. "Koromaru thinks so, too…don't you, boy?"

"Everything seems to be going according to plan," announced Aigis as she crossed towards Fuuka and Koromaru. "Assessing the situation as it stands now, I think that we may safely assume this experience is not a dream."

"Oh, yeah?" Junpei frowned. "How can be so sure? Wishful thinking, huh, Ai-chan?"

Aigis gave him a cool, collected look. "I am still in a great deal of pain," she informed him. "After experiencing pain in a dream, one typically wakes up. Is that not the case? As we have all experienced great pain and other tangible sensations, and we are still immersed in this midst of this experience, I believe we must assume that this 'Velvet Room' is based somewhere in reality."

Turning to Mitsuru, she smiled and said, "I am ready for Minako-san to be a part of my reality gain. It has been…a long time."

"Yes," murmured Mitsuru. "I think we are all in agreement on that point. It would be nice to be a whole team again…complete with our leader. I'm coming, of course."

Mitsuru joined the others, leaving only Junpei standing by himself, looking frustrated.

"Aw, shit," he sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "We're all gonna die…"

"I don't believe we need to worry about that," began Mitsuru. "As Akihiko has already stated, Theodore does not seem particularly concerned about the risk."

"You chicken, Junpei?" Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't think you'd be the type."

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to," added Fuuka gently. "Minako wouldn't want that."

"Are you kidding? No way!" Shaking his head emphatically, Junpei hurried over to stand alongside the others. "Do you have any idea how much fun she'd make of me if I stuck around here and let all the rest of you do the dirty work? I don't think I'd ever live it down. Nah, it's all for one, one for…whatever."

Shinjiro smiled. "Good."

"And, uh, besides," said Junpei, shooting a quick glance at Shinjiro out of the corner of his eye. "You were right, senpai, when you said that thing, before."

"Oh? What 'thing' was that?" Mitsuru frowned.

Junpei just shook his head. "She fought for us, right? So…let's fight for her. I'm not backing down, now."

"You don't have to be a hero," insisted Yukari. "If you're scared, then-!"

"Hey, weren't you listening?" Junpei turned on her and glared. "This isn't about playing hero anymore. Come on, quit talking. Are we doing this, or not?"

Igor smiled.

"So?" Akihiko was now bouncing nervously up and down on the balls of his feet, again. "What are we supposed to do, now?"

"Oh, nothing at all," replied Theodore. "I have already taken the liberty of fusing your hearts and souls into one single, united trust. The combined strength of your fortified hearts will soon serve as its very own Great Seal! You..may feel lightheaded for a few minutes. No, um…that may have been inaccurate. You may suffer for a few days, although I hope that I am exaggerating the side effects." He frowned.

"Huh?" Fuuka sounded startled.

"Then," murmured Mitsuru, "that pain we felt before…that was the creation of the new Seal?"

"Exactly." Theodore beamed at her.

"Whoa, whoa whoa whoa!" Junpei held up a hand in protest. "You did that already? Like, ten minutes ago? Wait, what if we'd all said no? I thought we were supposed to be doing this 'of our own free will,' or whatever!"

Theodore shook his head. "Oh, have no fear," he assured them. "If you had decided not to move forward with the fusion, I would, of course, have reversed the process. It would only have been very slightly more painful."

"Uh…" Ken blinked. "O…okay…."

"Please," sighed Elizabeth, "forgive my brother. He does get a little over-eager sometimes."

"Nngh," mumbled Shinjiro."

"That…might be an understatement," muttered Akihiko.

"And now," announced Igor, "it is time that I return you to your own world. If you choose to visit this Velvet Room again, it will be of our own accord, although I sincerely hope that you do not find you have any more need of my services."

"Do you, uh…think that's likely?" Junpei sighed. "Damn, why do I feel like it's all starting over again?"

"Until another time, then," intoned Igor. "Farewell…"

He waved a hand, and suddenly the world began swimming in front of Mitsuru's eyes again. She blinked hard, aware that there were still so many questions that she needed desperately to ask,.

"S…side effects," she whispered, trying as hard as he could to get the words out.

It was no use. Before she'd even managed to form the rest of the thought, her mind gave out on her and she tumbled mercifully back into the land of sleep.

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note: **Uh oh, that took a little longer than I thought! I'm late. Gotta go! More on this later!


	11. Burn to Emerge - Chapter Ten

**Author's Note: **This is the final chapter of **Burn to Emerge, **the first story in this collection!

Oh, but, since this is a collection, there are a lot more stories to come.

I promised myse**l**f that each story in this collection would be nolonger than ten chapters. I'm trying to set more manageable writing goals for myself so that I don't burn out and leave you guys hanging on a permanent cliff (again.)

Here goes!

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

"Ugh…" Shinjiro muttered to himself, wincing as he slowly regained consciousness. He was dizzy and nauseous, but now at least he could feel his bed underneath him again, steady and solid.

"So," he sighed. "Guess it really was just a dream after all…damnit."

Groggily, he took a deep breath, stretched, and started to open his eyes. It was only then that his brain caught up with the reality of the situation, and he suddenly realized.

_Wait, _he thought, startled. _Bed? What the hell am I doing in a bed? I don't sleep in a bed. These days, I'm pretty lucky if I can find a clean, unused blanket to roll myself up in on the hospital floor. _

His eyes shot open, and he pulled the ratty blankets off of him and stared around at a familiar, bare and barren little room. It had almost no furniture, except for a desk shoved up against one of the walls, with a few cardboard boxes stacked up on top of it. He could see the handle of an axe protruding from underneath one of the boxes.

"This place," he mumbled. "How the hell…?"

As far as Shinjiro could tell, he was currently lying in his old room at what had once been the Iwatodai dorm, where the group formerly known as SEES had come together to battle the twelve monster shadows. The room looked exactly the way it had when he'd left it, except that apparently someone had walked off with his stuff, since his old coat and hat weren't hanging on the solitary peg by the door the way they'd always been when he'd lived there.

_So, _he thought, _then, I guess this has to be…another dream? _

Even before he'd finished the thought, there was a loud knock on the dorm room door.

"Hey," called Junpei's voice from outside. "Senpai! Shinjiro-senpai! You awake, man?"

"Y-yeah," grunted Shinjiro, struggling out of bed. Now that he tried to move, his joints protested, and it really did feel like he'd just been through a series of brutal battles. "What's going on?"

"I'm coming in, okay?" Without waiting for a response, Junpei flung open the door and stood excitedly on the threshold. "Hey, welcome back! How weird is this, huh?"

"What…?" Shinjiro blinked, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. "What's happening? What are we doing here? Is this another dream?"

"Nah," Junpei assured him, shaking his head. "This is the real deal, senpai! Everybody's here! We all woke up in our old rooms in the dorm! I thought maybe we'd been thrown back in time or something like that, but Aigis says her internal clock says that it's still March 5, 2012, so…I guess it's the same day it was yesterday. Uh, I mean, we're not time traveling, or anything."

Shinjiro's mind was racing, trying to keep up with everything. "That's…probably for the best," he heard himself say. "Not sure I'd be up to facing any shadows, just now. Don't you dare tell Aki I said that, though." He tried to grin, but his face hurt, and he wondered if he looked as much of a pulverized mess as he felt.

"Yeah, don't worry," said Junpei. "Anything you want to tell him, you can tell him yourself, anyway. Like I said, he's downstairs. So, you coming?"

He turned and strode out the door again, and Shinjiro had to hurry to keep up. Together they headed down the stairs onto the first floor, where all of the former members of SEES were lounging around in chairs and on sofas just the way they had all those years ago. The scene was a strange one, very reminiscent of good times that Shinjiro wasn't sure he cared to remember. There was only one thing, or rather one person conspicuously missing, and Shinjiro couldn't help looking around, hoping he'd spot her in a corner or sitting curled up on the floor, pouring over her textbook with a furrowed brow like the good girl she'd always been.

"Um, senpai," Yukari was saying, frowning at Mitsuru from across one of the little dorm tables. "I thought this place was destroyed years ago. I mean, didn't the school tear it down after everything that happened?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "I had the demolition order canceled," she informed Yukari, smiling almost sheepishly. "As a matter of fact I…found myself unwilling to part with this place. There are a lot of memories stored within these dormitory walls. I somehow felt that if the dorm was torn down, we'd all lose something important. Useless, sentimentality, perhaps, but The Kirijo Corporation has since maintained this place, more in commemoration than for any other reason. I haven't returned to this dorm, however, since we all abandoned it three years ago. I'm afraid I have no idea what we're all doing here, now."

"Yeah, well, this proves one thing at least," remarked Akihiko. "None of this was a dream. If it had been, we'd all have woken up in our own beds."

"I'm glad to be here," murmured Fuuka. "I don't think I would have wanted to wake up alone, after all of that. I wanted to talk more with you all. It would have been terrible if it had turned out to be just a dream."

"Yeah." Yukari nodded. "I agree. Still…why here? Is there something that we're supposed to do, here?"

Junpei groaned. "Oh man, I hope not. No more fighting, please! I need a break. I'm out of shape. Maybe I need to start running and stuff, like Akihiko-san. I haven't trained in like, forever."

Aigis held up a hand. "I have a suggestion," she informed them. "It is possible that Igor-san may have sent us all here in order to maintain the strength of the newly-forged Great Seal."

"Huh?" Ken frowned. "Wait, what do you mean, Aigis?"

"The dwellers in the Velvet Room were very clear on one point," explained Aigis carefully. "They took great pains to make clear to us that our bonds with each other are currently responsible for the strength of the Great Seal. It seems logical, in that case, that the Seal itself might weaken if our bonds were to weaken or become unduly strained. Perhaps it is for that reason that we have been transported to this place, in order to keep us in close physical proximity to one another."

"Oh…uh, yeah, that makes sense." Junpei nodded.

Fuuka looked thoughtful. "I'm not so sure about that, Aigis. Friendships can exist even when two people are far apart, countries or even continents away from one another. I don't think that we need to be close together in order to maintain our bonds."

"Yeah, but seriously?" Junpei shook his head. "It's not like any of us were making efforts to stay in touch, or nothing. Distance was kind of an issue."

"I…don't think it was the distance causing the problem," murmured Yukari." I was thinking about this just last night, or…um, when we were inside that Velvet Room, anyway. Maybe it wasn't the distance keeping us from talking. Maybe it was the memories."

"Huh?" Junpei blinked. "Wait, you lost me."

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "Aigis makes an important point," she said, interrupting. "At the moment, all we know is that our bonds are serving as the barrier between our world and the coming of Erebus. We have no idea what effect that is going to have on each of us, nor what might happen if we were to separate. It would be best, I think, for us to maintain close contact for the moment, until we're certain just exactly how to proceed. For that reason, I suggest that we all remain here for the time being."

"Here?" Akihiko blinked. "Wait…are you serious, Mitsuru?"

Mitsuru frowned. "I understand that it's far from convenient," she said apologetically. "We all, of course, have other commitments that might be compromised by this arrangement, but I see no other way. If you have any means of rearranging your schedules, I suggest that you do so. I will attempt to compensate you for any significant financial losses you might suffer in consequence, of course."

"That's our senpai," chuckled Junpei. "Man…I missed you guys Anyway, I've got, like, two full weeks of sick leave, or something. I haven't used it since I started out, so I should be fine. I'll call."

"Um…we might need more than two weeks," remarked Yukari, raising an eyebrow.

Junpei just shrugged. "Whatever. Let's cross that bridge when we get to it, okay?"

Yukari sighed. "And here I thought you'd finally started being responsible. Like that would ever happen."

"What about you, Yukari?" Mitsuru raised an inquiring eyebrow. "If you like, I can arrange for a driver to take you to the university each morning. It's a bit of a long drive, so I'm afraid you'll have to be awake at an extremely early hour."

Yukari smiled. "Thanks, senpai, but we won't have to worry about that for a while. I'm out for the spring holidays, at the moment, so we'll be okay for a least a few weeks. I'm used to getting up early for practice, anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem if I have to change my sleep schedule a little."

"Excellent." Mitsuru nodded.

"But, um, Fuuka," continued Yukari, turning to her friend, "what about you? Do you think you'll be able to get time off of work?"

Fuuka nodded hurriedly. "I'll be just fine," she assured them all. "As a matter of fact, I typically work from home, anyway. I'm a technical support representative for a big computer corporation, and I spend all of my day taking phone calls. I can do that here just as well as anywhere. I'll use my cell phone, so no one will have to know that I've changed residences."

"Technical support, huh? Impressive." Shinjiro nodded at her.

Fuuka flushed slightly. "Oh, n-no, it's no big deal," she insisted. "I like doing it. It's nice being able to help other people solve their problems! Computers can be very frustrating if you don't know how to use them properly."

"Uh, yeah, I can agree with that," said Yukari. "Anyway, that's really cool, Fuuka."

"I'll inform the Kirijo Corporation that I will be working remotely for the forseeable future," said Mitsuru.

"I shall do the same," added Aigis.

"Oh, is that what you've been doing, Ai-chan?" Junpei nodded. "Nice. They're lucky to have you."

"You flatter me, Junpei-san. As they say, 'flattery will get you nowhere,'" murmured Aigis, but she looked uncharacteristically pleased.

"I can arrange to have all necessary paperwork scanned and emailed to me, and the company Vice President can serve as my representative for the time being," continued Mitsuru. "He is a stable and trustworthy man."

"Always good to have reliable people on your side," commented Shinjiro.

"Yes," agreed Mitsuru, nodding. "I agree. Shinjiro, will this arrangement be all right for you?"

Shinjiro just shrugged. "Sure. Can't see any reason why not. I can walk to the hospital from here. It'll be nice to have somewhere to crash, for once. Looking forward to it."

"I…y-yes, I suppose this will be a welcome change, then." Mitsuru looked a little thrown off. "I…do wish you'd mentioned your predicament sooner. I would, of course, have been happy to-!"

Shinjiro cut her off, apparently completely ignoring the remark. "Hey, Ken," he asked. "You still going to the middle school around here?"

"Um, yes." K en nodded. "Ill be in eighth grade next year."

"Cool." Shinjiro grinned at him. "Looks like we'll be going the same direction in the morning. You think you'd be embarrassed having an old hobo like me walk you in?"

"I…don't need to be walked into school," mumbled Ken. "I'm fine on my own."

Despite his protests, however, Ken really did look happy.

"WOOF!" Koromaru barked exuberantly.

Fuuka giggled. "Does that mean that you don't mind either, Koromaru?"

"Koromaru is hoping that he might finally also have a chance to attend school," interpreted Aigis.

"Sorry, Koro-chan," sighed Yukari. "It's just not going to happen."

Koromaru whimpered in disappointment. Shinjiro gave him an encouraging little pat on the head.

"Well, that's cool, then." Junpei settled back in his chair, and rested both hands behind his head. "We're all settled, right?"

Shinjiro coughed, and glanced over at Akihiko. "Not quite," he muttered. "You're awfully quiet over there, Aki. What's up?"

Mitsuru frowned. "Akihiko, I know that I'm asking a great deal from you."

Yukari sucked in a startled breath. "Oh, that's right! Didn't senpai tell us that he was just about finished with his police training? What's going to happen if he can't go back to the academy?"

"If there were any other way," Mitsuru was saying placatingly, "then I'd be wiling to-!"

"It's fine," interrupted Akihiko, cutting her off and shaking his head. "I'll figure something out. You're right; we've gotta stay here until we figure out what the rules of this match are. I can't leave now, so there's no use complaining about it."

"But...wait, what are you going to do about your training?" Fuuka looked worried. "You've wanted this for so long..."

Akihiko sighed. "Yeah, I don't know. Don't get me wrong - I'm not giving up on it. I'm going back to the academy eventually, and I'm going to finish thisy ear. I just, uh...may have to get creative about it."

He frowned, then sighed and shrugged.

"Like I said," he finished. "No use getting worked up over something I can't change. There'll be a way to handle this. Once I find it, there'll be no stopping me, even if it means waiting another year."

"Akihiko…" Mitsuru looked impressed. "You really haven't changed at all, have you?"

She smiled, and Akihiko rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck.

"Usually you only say that when I'm doing something stupid," he mumbled "A-anyway, maybe there's some stuff around here that I should be paying more attention to." He glanced over at Shinjiro, and Shinjiro coughed and averted his eyes.

"Perhaps there might be some way for you to continue your academy training here," mused Mitsuru. "I could, of course, contact the academy, perhaps call in some instructors. No doubt you will maintain your exercise regimen, so that won't pose any particular issue. I believe that-!"

Suddenly, Junpei slammed both fists down on the arms of his chair, startling everyone into turning to stare at him.

"Damnit," he muttered. "I can't take it anymore. Enough of this chit-chatty crap. We're all thinking it, right? So? Where is she? I thought she was supposed to be here with us!"

Yukari nodded slowly. "I…I keep looking at the door, expecting her to come in, but…I'm starting to get nervous. What if it was a lie? What if she isn't really coming back? I don't know what to believe, I just keep hoping…"

"It…is possible that Arisato may have woken up in another location," murmured Mitsuru. "Or, perhaps she is still confined within the Velvet Room, waiting for us to retrieve her, somehow."

"Yeah? And how are we supposed to do that?" Junpei looked frustrated. "We don't even know how WE got in and out of that place. How are we supposed to find and rescue somebody else?"

"Wait…hold on a moment, everyone." Fuuka was frowning hard. Pulling her evoker out of her pocket, she held it to her head and fired, summoning her persona, Juno, into the world. Crouched within Juno's protection, Fuuka closed her eyes and was obviously concentrating hard.

"Hey," began Junpei.

"Shh," hissed Akihiko. "Shut up and let her focus."

For a few moments they all sat in tense, expectant silence while Fuuka reached out with Juno's power.

"She's…she's here," whispered Fuuka eventually, taking a deep breath. "I can feel her…Minako-chan. She's out there, somewhere…no, she's somewhere very nearby."

"S-seriously?" Junpei gaped. "You…you mean it? She's really here? Holy crap!"

"Where," demanded Yukari "Fuuka, where is she?"

Slowly, Fuuka smiled. "I don't believe it," she murmured. "She's here…in this dorm! She must have been here the whole time, but…she's asleep, still. It feels as though she's very, very tired…"

Before Fuuka had a chance to say another word, Junpei and Akihiko were both on their feet.

"Quick," ordered Mitsuru. "Her old room. She must be there. After all, the rest of us woke up in our old dorm rooms, so it stands to reason."

Shinjiro struggled up again and took off after Akihiko and Junpei who were already heading for the stairwell.

The entire party rushed the stairs, and soon found themselves outside of the third floor room that had once and briefly belonged to Minako Arisato. Ignoring Yukari's protests, Junpei took the lead, firmly grabbed the handle of the bedroom door and threw it open.

"Oh," gasped Mitsuru. "Then…it was true after all…"

All huddled and balled up in the center of the little dormitory bed was the unmistakable figure of a young girl with messy brown hair. She was sleeping with her back to the door, but as the entire group watched with baited breath, she murmured something in her sleep, stretched, and rolled over to face them. The pig keychain still hung around her neck, although the high-tech headphones had slipped off of her ears and were now lying on the pillow beside her. She still wore the slim leather watch around her wrist, as well as the various traces of other people she'd known and loved.

"I…I can't believe it," whispered Yukari shakily. "She's really…!"

Abruptly, Minako opened her eyes, blinked twice, and then peered groggily at the cluster of people standing in the doorway. Slowly, she uncurled and pushed herself up on to her elbows, looking exhausted and a little embarrassed in the glow of early morning light from the room's only window.

"Oops," she whispered, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry! I guess I overslept again, huh?"

Yukari let out a strangled little sob.

"Y-yeah," muttered Junpei, sniffling loudly and then trying to cover it with an aggressive cough. "You kinda, did, uh…by like, three years. J-jeez…"

**Fin.**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **That's all for now, folks!

So now that we've resolved at least one issue, which social links would you most like to see? I'll be writing stories about each character re-establishing their bond with Minako, so I'm curious to hear who you're most interested in reading about.

Of course, that's just part of the story. There's a good reason that we brought up te whole "alternate universe" thing in a previous chapter. We'll see a lot more of that in later installments. Oh, and y, we are going to meet the P4 cast at some point, too.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed what you've read so far! Remember, reviews make writers sing and dance with joy!

No, really, I will totally do a song and a dance if you like. I'll even record it and upload it to youtubeto prove that I did it. For you, my beloved readers, I would do almost anything (within reason?)


	12. Tree of Life - Chapter One

**Author's Note: **So, for this story I am taking a little inspiration from the events of Persona 4. I do think it totally makes sense in context, though.

* * *

**Second Story:**

**Tree of Life**

"_A hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is the tree of life." – _Proverb

* * *

**Chapter One: March 11, 2012**

One week after the forming of what SEES was now calling "the New Seal," Minako woke up to the sound of someone knocking on her dorm room door.

"Arisato, are you awake?" Mitsuru called to her from the other side of the door. "I'm sorry to disturb you so early, but we have business in the city, today. When you're dressed, please meet me on the first floor. In the meantime, I'll wake the others."

"Um," mumbled Minako. "Business…? Oh…okay."

Blearily she wiped the sleep out of her eyes, yawned, stretched, and tried to shrug off the sleepy feelings. For some reason, no matter how much sleep she got, these days, she just seemed to feel more and more tired.

_That's probably a side effect of being a zombie, _she thought absently. _Coming back from the dead after three years of inaction would make anybody a little lethargic, I think. I'd better not let on to Akihiko-senpai, though, or he'll start trying to feed me those protein bars again. I mean, okay, I guess I could choke a few down to try to boost my energy a bit, but that stuff tastes really gross. I think what we really need is another one of Shinjiro-senpai's feasts! That's enough o get anyone excited and energized, and it's nutritious, too!_

The thought of food made Minako's stomach start rumbling, and suddenly she was a lot more eager to jump out of bed and to head for the kitchen.

_Weird, _she thought, frowning to herself as she pulled out a few clothes that she and Yukari had picked up at Paulownia mall the week before. _I've barely even seen Shinjiro-senpai since I came back. He's living here too, isn't he? He never hangs out with the others. Oh well…that's just like him, I guess. I still haven't had a chance to thank him…or even to talk to him. I'd really like to see him. I wonder if maybe he doesn't want to see me, though…_

Sighing, she shook her head, pulled on her shoes and headed for the stairwell, trying not to imagine the furtively annoyed look that she saw on Shinjiro's face every time they happened to pass each other in the hallways. He always rushed away without saying a word, and if Minako tried knocking on his door, he never answered.

_Oh well, _she thought. _No use stressing out about that right now. Mitsuru-senpai and the others are waiting. It's never a good idea to keep Mitsuru waiting!_

Before joining the others on the main level, Minako stopped off in the bathroom to wash her face. By the time she did get downstairs, the others were all already there, clustered together on the sofas near the big dormitory doors.

"Oh, hey, Mina-tan!" Junpei jumped up as soon as he saw her, grinning. "Morning! How'd you sleep?"

"Are you feeling well, Minako-chan?" Aigis frowned in Minako's direction. "All of my readings indicate that your vital signs continue to be normal. I'm very glad."

"If you're hungry," suggested Fuuka, beaming, "then I can make you some breakfast. I bought all of the ingredients for 'apple sugar pancakes' last night, and I think they'll be really delicious…maybe."

"Oh boy," muttered Akihiko. "Minako, I wouldn't, if I were you."

Koromaru glanced over at Fuuka, then whimpered and huddled up on the floor next to Akihiko's chair. Akihiko stroked him absently.

Fuuka looked crestfallen.

"I'm sure the pancakes are going to be great, Fuuka," Minako assured her, smiling encouragingly. "We'll try them together another morning, okay? I'm looking forward to it!"

Junpei looked impressed. "Wow, seriously? You're up for that?"

_I'm used to it, _thought Minako, stifling a rueful grin. _At this point, I'm pretty sure my stomach can handle anything that Fuuka cooks up. Bring it on!_

"You must have a_ s_teel stomach," remarked Junpei thoughtfully. "Oh, well, I guess that's nothing new. You always did eat a lot more than most other girls."

"Junpei," snapped Yukari. "What exactly are you trying to say? She just woke up! Are you really going to start teasing her this early in the morning?"

"What? What did I do?" Junpei glared at Yukari. "Anyway, let the lady speak for herself. Maybe teasing is just how I show how much I care, right? That's a thing. Right, Mina-tan? You wouldn't understand our relationship, anyway. You're too sensitive. Minako's not like that."

"You're just like a grade schooler," muttered Yukari, shaking her head. "That's something that little kids do. Little boys run around on the playground chasing and teasing the girls they like. Grow up, Junpei."

"Um…" Ken raised a hesitant hand. "I think I resent that, Yukari-senpai."

"Forget it, Ken," remarked Akihiko. "You're in middle school, now. You're no little kid."

"Yeah," muttered Ken unhappily, "but, um…I was NEVER like that…"

Mitsuru cleared her throat.

"If you will all pay attention for a moment," she announced, maybe a little more loudly than she needed to in order to be heard above Junpei and Yukari's argument, "then I have something very important to tell you. I'm pleased to hear that you're all so interested in Arisato's health, this morning, as that's exactly what I'd like for us to discuss."

"Huh?" Ken blinked. "Wait, is there…something wrong with Minako-san?"

"As I have already stated," reported Aigis, "all of Minako-chan's vital signs remain regular."

"I'm glad to hear that," murmured Mitsuru, nodding. "However, as you are all aware, it has been exactly one week since we returned from the Velvet Room. If we are to believe what Theodore and Igor told us that day, then our hearts and souls are currently responsible for upholding the New Seal. I remember that some of you expressed concern, at the time, as to what effect that might have upon our states of health."

Mitsuru shot a quick look at Junpei.

"Uh, yeah," mumbled J unpei. "Well, that's true, sure. Can you blame me?"

"We still have no idea what the side effects of the New Seal may be," continued Mitsuru. "If possible, I would like to determine what internal changes we might be undergoing. With that in mind, I have arranged for each of us to have a thorough physical examination today at the hospital, under the supervision of knowledgeable Kirijo Corporation doctors who are familiar with the existence of shadows and personas. I have requested a vet, as well, for Koromaru."

"Arf," announced Koromaru appreciatively.

Mitsuru smiled at him. "You're quite welcome."

"Oh." Yukari nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's…that's probably a good idea. I won't pretend that I haven't been worrying about it, just a little."

"A good fighter stays on top of his health," agreed Akihiko. "I want to keep in shape, so I'd like to know the worst."

"Aw, man," groaned Junpei." I hate hospitals, senpai…"

He sighed, and Minako frowned, realizing that there was something just a little more serious about the look on Junpei's face than there had been a moment ago.

"Oh, well," he said after a moment. "I'm a man. I guess I can take it."

"Hang in there, Junpei," murmured Yukari with unexpected gentleness.

"I think it's a really good idea," added Minako, feeling that it was time to add her two cents. "I mean…I've been thinking about it, too. I know I'd feel a lot better if it turned out that none of you were going to be suffering physically because of…well, because of what you did for me."

"It might not turn out that way," replied Mitsuru. "Although I'd love to believe that none of our health has been affected, I think it extremely unlikely that we will face no consequences from choosing to create the New Seal."

"Hey," added Junpei quickly, "but there's nothing for you to feel guilty about, okay, Mina-tan? We did this all on our own, and I don't think anybody's regretting it. Right?"

He glared around the room, as though daring anybody to say that they were having second thoughts.

"I don't care what happens," added Yukari staunchly. "Even if it means that I'll be in a wheelchair in a couple of years, or something like that, I wouldn't go back and change what we decided. Don't worry, Minako-chan."

Minako smiled.

"I'm not going to get upset," she said. "I'm not really all that worried, because, if something really is wrong, then we'll find a way to fix it. I'm not going to let anything happen to any of you. Leave it to me. If there's a problem, then I'll make it go away. I don't care what I have to do; you can count on that."

"That's our leader," murmured Fuuka. "Oh, I'm so glad…it almost feels like the old days again."

Mitsuru chuckled. "Yes," she agreed. "it is nice to have us all back together again, isn't it?"

_Not all of us, _thought Minako, turning and frowning into the shadowy corner where Shinjiro had used to lurk, once upon a time. _Someone's still missing. _

"Oh, by the way," asked Yukari." Where's Shinjiro-senpai?"

Mitsuru looked frustrated for a moment. "He…has decided not to join us. I wasn't able to convince him."

"What?" Akihiko shook his head. "No, he's gotta come. If there's anybody who needs to get checked out, then it's Shinji."

"He works at the hospital, man," Junpei reminded Akihiko. "I mean, he probably gets checkups all the time. That's gotta be one of the perks, right?"

"Uh, Junpei…that's not exactly how it works," murmured Fuuka.

"In any case," interrupted Mitsuru, shrugging, "I cannot force him. He is a grown man and will make his own decisions as he chooses.

"Damnit," muttered Akihiko under his breath. Yukari patted him comfortingly on the shoulder, and Koromaru jumped up to lick at his hand.

As they all stood up, gathered their coats and started heading for the door, Minako again glanced over her shoulder, this time at the stairwell.

_If he's not coming, _wondered Minako, _then where is he? Still in hi_s _room? _

Resignedly, she turned and followed the others out of the dormitory, making a mental note to try looking for him later.

_He's going to have to see me eventually, _she decided, _whether he likes it or not._

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

Yay, this was fun to write. Unfortunately now I have to go to work for the next…eleven hours? Oy.

My show opens on Friday, but after that's over I'll actually have some time to myselfto write, so we might be able to look forward to multiple updates! Huzzah!


	13. Tree of Life - Chapter Two

**Author's Note: **I took the day off of work tomorrow (all of my works) because I feel like crap and am worried that if I get sick, I won't be able to go on stage on Friday, which could be really bad.

Subsequently, I had time to update! Yay!

I've got this whole story plotted out, and I'm very excited about the direction it's going in. I think after writing/stopping/failing to write several other stories, I've finally figured out just exactly what I want to say about these characters and plot issues. Took a while, but I think we finally got there. That's something to be proud of, right? Sure it is.

There will be NO updates Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, so let's see if I can get another update in tomorrow!

Thanks for being so patient with me, friends.

And here we go;

* * *

**Chapter Two**

A few hours later, Minako and the rest of the former SEES members were sitting around in the hospital waiting rooms, having all finished with their examinations.

"Um…so, what do you think?" Yukari frowned over at Mitsuru. "The doctors sure didn't look worried, or anything."

Akihiko shrugged. "We'll know for certain when we get our results back. I've been training pretty regularly, so I'm hoping for the best. I should be in pretty decent shape, but I'm kind of anxious to see how I did."

At that exact moment, a rather muscular and unexpectedly menacing-looking nurse strode in and silently passed Mitsuru a sheaf of papers. Mitsuru nodded and accepted them, then glanced over the one on the top of the stack, nodding thoughtfully to herself.

"Whoa, senpai," muttered Ken, looking startled. "Was that lady one of your people?"

"Yes," murmured Mitsuru absently, as she leafed through the pages she'd received. "Akiyama is one of our personal nurses. She's quite competent."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko, nodding appreciatively. "And she looks like she keeps herself in shape, too. I wouldn't want to meet her alone, out in a dark alley…unless she was on my side of the fight."

"Hmm." Yukari sighed. "Is it just me, or is the Kirijo Corporation starting to feel more and more like the mob?"

Mitsuru, apparently ignoring that remark, stood up and began passing out the papers in her hand.

"These," she told them them, "are your test results. I'm sure that the doctors would have informed me if anything out of the ordinary had come up during the checkups, but look them over and make sure that nothing surprises you."

Dutifully, Minako took her results and glanced briefly over them.

_It all looks fine to me_, she thought. _According to this, I'm a perfectly healthy, normal seventeen-year-old girl._

"Sorry," said Akihiko, glancing over her shoulder at the paper. "We told them that you were seventeen. It…seemed like the easiest way out. I doubt they would have believed that you were actually twenty, but had spent three years, uh…not getting older."

Yukari rolled her eyes_. _"Wow, senpai," she muttered sarcastically. "That was tactful."

Akihiko blinked. "What? Hey, I was just…I mean, come on! What was I supposed to say_? _Didn't we agree not to use the D word?"

"The D word?" Fuuka frowned. "Oh, you mean…?" Suddenly, she looked a little upset. "Y-yes, of course."

Minako sighed.

'_The D word', _she thought. _I guess they decided amongst themselves that they just wouldn't talk about me being 'dead.' _

Into the awkward silence that followed, Yukari sighed.

"Ugh," she mumbled. "This is just awful…"

Akihiko looked over at her." What, did you put on weight again? Don't worry about it, Yukari. It's probably muscle."

"What?" Yukari's mouth fell open in surprise. "Senpai, you're a nice guy, and all, but you're probably one of the densest, most insensitive men I've ever met. You just don't say things like to girls. Right, Mitsuru-senpai?"

"Hmm," murmured Mitsuru, the corners of her mouth turning up in what was almost a smile. "I wouldn't let it bother you, Yukari. You look very trim these days. Akihiko may be right."

"Ugh." Yukari slumped a little lower in her chair. "Minako, you get it, don't you?"

Minako just gave her an apologetic little smile.

"Oh no," whispered Ken, "I'm only a couple of inches taller than I was at my last checkup. I'm never going to grow. I'll be short for the rest of my life. It doesn't seem to matter how much I eat, or whether I get extra sleep and work out a lot like Akihiko-senpai. No matter what I do, I'm always below average."

He sagged in his seat, looking genuinely miserable.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a little shorter," insisted Minako, trying to cheer him up.

"You're just saying that," mumbled Ken. "You probably prefer taller guys…right, Minako-san?"

Minako tactfully decided to ignore that remark. "After all," she went on, "Shinjiro-senpai is a lot taller than Akihiko-senpai, but that doesn't mean he's stronger. Akihiko-senpai usually wins, in a fight."

Ken brightened up a little. "Oh, yeah," he agreed, nodding slowly." Yeah, I guess that's true."

Minako winked at him.

When she turned to smile at Akihiko, however, she found that Akihiko didn't look happy at all.

"Yeah," mumbled Akihiko. "Well, we don't fight too much anymore."

"That's great," replied Minako, trying to maintain her enthusiasm in the face of Akihiko's sudden sullenness. "I hate it when the two of you fight."

"Right," agreed Akihiko. "I remember, yeah."

Again, the room fell uncomfortably silent. Mitsuru shot Akihiko a quick look, and he hurriedly shook his head.

"Senpai," began Minako, "what's-?"

"Oh, um, hey," interrupted Yukari hastily, glancing around the room and frowning. "Has anyone seen Junpei? I guess he isn't out of his exam, yet, huh?"

Startled, Mitsuru nodded. "Yes, he…does seem to be taking a very long time. He must have completed his checkup already – I have his results right here. Where do you suppose he is?"

"Um…Junpei-san hates hospitals," added Ken. "Do you think its okay to just leave him alone like this?"

"Probably not," frowned Yukari." Um…someone should go look for him."

She started up, but Minako beat her to it.

"I'll go," said Minako. "Back in a minute!"

Before anyone had a chance to argue, Minako hurried out of the waiting room and into the hallway. There were, as always, a bunch of harried-looking nurses milling around, and a few worried parents chattering together outside the doors to hospital exam rooms.

Of course, Minako really had no idea where she should stat looking for Junpei, so it did take a few minutes for her to track him down. She eventually stuck her head around the open door to one of the exam rooms, and found him sitting sullenly on the cot up against the window, staring blankly outside at the unimpressive hospital courtyard.

As quietly as she could, Minako slipped into the room and closed the door behind her. Junpei must not have heard her, because he didn't even look over in her direction.

"Hey," she said. "You know, everyone's waiting for you. We're all done."

"Oh." Startled, Junpei turned around and frowned at her. "Yeah? That's cool. Sorry to hold you all up, I guess."

Minako shook her head. "No, it's fine. What's up? What are you looking at?"

Jumping up onto the cot, she perched herself next to Junpei and gazed out the window at the pretty pathetic looking flower garden that the hospital barely bothered to maintain.

"Nothing," mumbled Junpei, shrugging. "Nothing to look at. Just daydreaming, I guess."

The closed, miserable look on Junpei's face told Minako very clearly that whatever he was 'daydreaming' about wasn't very pleasant. She remembered the uncomfortable, knowing way that Mitsuru and Yukari had glanced at each other when they'd all realized that Junpei was missing.

"So," repeated Minako casually. "What's up?"

"I, uh…" Junpei paused, gritted his teeth, and then laughed a little under his breath. "Man, am I that obvious?"

This time, Minako didn't say anything. She just sat patiently and waited for whatever it was to spill out.

Eventually, Junpei sighed and shrugged.

"Hey," he asked. "Do you recognize this room?"

_This room? _Minako glanced around, but couldn't figure out what made this particular hospital room different from any of the others.

"No," she admitted."I don't. Is it a special room?"

"Maybe," replied Junpei. "Something like that. I mean…I guess you wouldn't remember, after all. It's not like you were in here very often. I usually blew you off and came to the hospital alone, so…there's no way you'd recognize it. I shouldn't have asked."

Again, he paused, and again, Minako sat quietly and waited.

"Well," he said eventually, "anyway, this was Chidori's room. I mean, she used this room back when Mitsuru-senpai put her in the hospital after we caught her on the roof of the dorm, you know? I used to spend a lot of time, here. It just…brings back memories. That's all."

Minako nodded, then took a deep breath and asked the question that she was starting to fear she already knew the answer to.

"Junpei,' she asked. "Where's Chidori now? What happened to her after the last battle? Did she ever get her memories back?"

"Huh?" This time, Junpei looked genuinely surprised. "Wait, you don't know?"

Minako just shook her head.

"Oh," muttered Junpei, sighing and gritting his teeth. "Well, uh…no, she never got her memories back. That was kind of nice, actually, because we were pretty happy, all in all, for a couple of years. She started this little flower shop at the strip mall, and it did pretty well, because her flowers always bloomed for weeks. Nobody could figure out why. Anyway, I guess she was happy. Must have been nice, not remembering any of that stuff about Strega, or the shadows. Must have been nice not having anything to regret."

_Oh no, _thought Minako, wincing internally. "So," she asked, "what….what happened then?"

Junpei turned away to face the window again, and when he spoke, his voice was dry and a little more brittle than it had been before.

"She, uh…she died," he muttered tonelessly. "About a year ago. She got real sick, but…when I brought her to the hospital, the doctors said they couldn't find anything wrong with her. She wasn't getting any better, but everybody said it was all in her head. Eventually she couldn't keep it up anymore, so she…she died."

_What, _thought Minako, horrified _Again?_ Hating herself for thinking of it that way, she shook her head. "Junpei," she murmured_,_ "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "Me, too. And, you know what? You know what sucks the most about it? I think maybe, for the first time in her whole life, Chidori really wanted to live, you know? She had stuff to look forward to, and that's a big deal. She wasn't hurting herself anymore, or talking about how death was nothing to be afraid of. She fought until the very end, but I guess it got too much for her, because she just closed her eyes one day and didn't wake up again, almost like…"

Suddenly, Junpei turned back to Minako and swallowed hard.

"Almost like you did," he said. "It was just like that, actually. One minute, you were falling asleep, and the next…it was over. Guess that's not something I'll ever forget."

Instinctively, Minako reached out and took Junpei's hand comfortingly in hers. He pulled away almost immediately, shaking his head.

"You know," he told her quietly, not quite able to meet her eyes, "I was really mad at you, for a while after Chidori died. Like, I was seriously pissed off."

"At me?" Minako blinked.

"Yeah," repeated Junpei. "Because…and hey, don't laugh, but I sort of thought, like…I figured you were probably up there somewhere in the Great Seal, watching over me. I had this crazy, half-kiddie idea in my head that you were sort of like my personal guardian angel, looking down on me from wherever you were and making sure that nothing bad happened to me here in the real world. I know it's stupid, but…it was a nice thing to think about. Got me through a lot of bad times."

He gave Minako a defensive sort of look, but she didn't feel at all like laughing. Instead, something was twisting painfully inside her chest, pulling on her heartstrings.

"I don't think I was really conscious in the Seal," she told Junpei apologetically. "Or…maybe I was, but I just can't remember. Either way, I don't think there was anything that I could have done. I'm so sorry."

"Nah, I get that," insisted Junpei. "I mean, I get it, now, anyway. Maybe that was the first time I really realized it."

"Realized what?" Minako frowned.

Junpei gestured vaguely at her." After Chidori died, I realized that you weren't up there watching over me, or anything. You weren't gonna step in and save the day anymore. You weren't really there at all. You were gone; like, really gone. I guess I hadn't let myself get used to that idea until Chidori died, but when it suddenly kicked in for real, I felt like I'd lost you both at the same time. Anyway, I lost something important. Maybe I lost hope. Either way, that's when I picked up and left Iwatodai. What was the point in sticking around?"

Again, Junpei lapsed into silence.

"I'm sorry," was all that Minako could find to say.

"Nah, forge it," insisted Junpei. "I don't want you to be sorry. That's not why I'm telling you all this. Actually…I don't know why I am telling you all this, really. Anyway, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty or anything, it's just…"

He trailed off, and stared thoughtfully out the window for a long moment before rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck and then starting over again.

"Sometimes," he said, "I feel like maybe it would have been better for me if Chidori had never come back. If she'd never come back to life, maybe I wouldn't have been sad last year when she finally died." He chuckled miserably to himself. "I'm a pretty awful guy, huh? I mean, that'to ts a pretty disgusting thing for me to think."

Minako just shook her head, and waited.

"But," Junpei went on slowly, "I think maybe if she'd never come back to life, I would have gotten used to it. I would have learned to deal with the grief, and it would have sucked, but I'd have moved on. As it is…I'm all confused. First she was dead, then she was alive again, then she died…I feel like my heart's just being jerked around. I got comfortable with her being a part of my life again, but it didn't last. Makes it kind of hard to want to get attached, you know? Maybe I'd be stronger if it had never happened. Maybe I'd have figured out how to make it work."

"Yes," said Minako honestly, thinking about the many lovers and friends that she'd left behind during the year that she'd passed with SEES before the coming of the Great Seal. "I think I understand."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "Yeah, if anybody does, then you do, sure."

He sighed, then finally looked Minako square in the face.

"Just do me one favor, okay?" He suddenly reached out and quickly squeezed the hand she'd offered him before. "Don't leave. You're here for real this time, right? I mean…you're not going anywhere. You're not going back…got it?"

Minako just nodded. "I'm not going anywhere," she assured him.

"Good," agreed Junpei, relaxing just a little bit. "Because…I want a chance to get used to you being a part of my world. It'd be nice, if things could go back to the way they were, with you and me, so…don't disappear. Let's live our lives. Sound cool?"

"Cool," agreed Minako, shooting him a quick smile. There was still that ache in the area of her heart, but she couldn't exactly place why it was that she felt so uneasy.

"Cool." Junpei smiled a little for the first time since Minako had come into the room. "Remember, leader, no take backs. I'm counting on you to keep your word."

With that, he swung his legs over the side of the cot and slid down onto the floor.

"Mitsuru-senpai's probably going to be pissed," he said, rolling his eyes. "We've been in here a while, huh? You said everybody's waiting, so, let's go."

He started out the door, and Minako hurried to follow him.

Just before they left the room, however, Junpei turned and spoke to Minako over his shoulder.

"Hey," he said "um, listen…thanks for coming to get me. I don't know why, but talking to you always m makes everything suck just a little bit less."

"Glad I could help," murmured Minako, hazarding a smile. "Leave it to me. I'm always all ears."

"Um, so, maybe you're having a hard time readjusting to being, uh, back in the real world," Junpei went on, a bit awkwardly. "So…you know, if there's anything you want to talk about-!"

"I know," interrupted Minako."I can talk to you. I promise, I'll do that."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "Yeah, definitely, do that. Because…I mean, we're still best bros, so…anything, anything at all. I'm here for you. Okay?"

They strode out into the hallway together, heading back in the direction of the waiting room. Minako thought Junpei's step had a little more of it's usual spring to it than it had before, when they'd first arrived at the hospital.

Deep inside her, something felt warm and solid, reminding her of the unbreakable bond that she and Junpei would always share.

At the same time, however, she still couldn't shake that nagging, troublesome uneasiness that she had yet successfully place.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

To answer your question; no, I do not just enjoy killing off Chidori for no reason. Honestly, I do find her character a bit flat, but that's no reason to kill her off EVERY time.

This time, though there's a very strong plot-based reason why she can't have survived after Minako became the Seal.

Read on to find out what I'm talking about!


	14. Tree of Life - Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **Took a full day off of work. All the works. I am feeling very weird and guilty about it. Every time I do this, I remember just how much I HATE taking days off of work!

…I'm going to try writing all day to see if I can distract myself from wishing I was at work.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

An hour or so later, Minako and the rest of SEES returned from the hospital together.

"Well," sighed Yukari, "it looks like everything's okay after all. We're all healthy; the doctors couldn't find anything wrong, except that Junpei eats too much and that Akihiko-senpai might want to quit overdoing it on the protein bars."

"Hey, that's not what the guy said," retorted Akihiko defensively. "The doctor just recommended that I vary up my diet, a little, that's all. It's probably not a bad idea…although, it would help if I could cook."

"If you like," suggested Mitsuru, "I could have dinner catered this evening. I'm afraid that I've no skill at cooking either, but a nice meal does sound like something we'd all enjoy."

"Oh, I could make something!" Fuuka beamed around at them at all. "I…well, I'm not sure if it will work, but I do have a new recipe that I found on the internet. I've been hoping for a chance to try it out!"

"Nngh," mumbled Junpei. "S-sorry, Fuuka, but uh…I got plans."

"Y-yeah," agreed Akihiko. "I should probably go to the gym tonight, anyway. It's been a few days."

"Grrr..." Koromaru nuzzled up against Fuuka's leg, and gave Akihiko a disappointed look.

"Oh," retorted Akihiko, raising an eyebrow at Koromaru. "What, like you'd eat it?"

Koromaru whimpered unhappily.

"Koromaru feels that you are being unfair, Akihiko-senpai," Aigis informed him.

Yukari patted the dejected looking Fuuka gently on the shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Fuuka," she said, turning her back to the boys. "Another time, okay? Why don't we just get takeout tonight? We can have a party up in my room, just us girls. I'll get us a movie, too!"

"Oh…that does sound like fun." Fuuka brightened up considerably. "Are you sure it's all right? You don't already have plans?"

"Nah." Yukari shook her head. "Like I said, it's spring break! I have nothing to do. What do you say, Minako? Are you up for a girl's night?"

"Um…sure, that sounds great." Minako smiled, but she wasn't really paying attention. She was certain that she'd just seen something maroon moving near the staircase, out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to face the stairs, though, whatever it was had gone.

"Yes," she repeated, abandoning the stairs and turning her attention back to Yukari. "I'd love to.".

Yukari grinned. "Sounds good, then!"

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "Sounds like fun. When are we starting the party?"

Yukari turned up her nose at him. "Were you listening, Junpei? This is a GIRL's night. You're not a girl, so you're not invited. Besides, I thought you had 'plans' already."

"What?" Junpei looked frustrated. "Come on, seriously? But, man, what if I want some takeout, too? Chinese food sounds really good, right about now."

Yukari just shrugged. "Then order your own," she suggested.

Junpei's shoulders slumped. "Aw, you guys suck," he muttered

"I am theoretically not a 'girl,'" announced Aigis, "though I am obviously designed in the image of a female type. Am I welcome at this party?"

"Of course you are, Aigis," Yukari assured. "Mitsuru-senpai, you should come, too."

"I'll look forward to it," murmured Mitsuru, smiling.

Junpei muttered something ugly under his breath. Fuuka glanced over at him, and then giggled.

While the others talked amongst themselves about what they'd do in terms of plans for that evening, Minako headed towards the staircase, still wondering if she'd imagined that flash of color she'd seen before. Climbing the stairs to the second floor, she soon found herself standing outside of Shinjiro's old bedroom. The door was shut, of course, and when she knocked on it a few times, no one answered.

"Senpai," called Minako. "Are you in there? It's me, Minako! Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Again, there was no response.

Starting to get a little annoyed, Minako nudged the door with her foot. It opened a crack, and she realized that it wasn't locked.

_Oh well, _she thought. _Desperate times call for desperate measures. _

Throwing propriety to the wind, she pushed open the door and barged in without waiting for permission.

At first, Minako thought that she'd been wrong, and that Shinjiro wasn't there. It took a moment for her to spot him, lying on his back on the bed, bare-chested and with his eyes closed, breathing slowly and a bit too loudly into the empty half-darkness of the tiny room.

"Oh," she murmured, realizing that she'd probably caught him in the middle of a nap. "I'm sorry."

"Huh? Wha-?" Slowly, he opened his eyes, turned to look at her, and gaped in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I…just wanted to see you," mumbled Minako awkwardly. "I didn't realize you were-!"

"Didn't anybody ever tell you?" Scowling, Shinjiro scrambled jerkily upright and started rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "You're supposed to knock, first. You can't just barge into some guy's bedroom."

"You're not just 'some guy,'" retorted Minako, doing her best not to look as sheepish as she felt. "Besides, you never answer when I knock, so…"

"So," finished Shinjiro, raising an eyebrow. "What does that tell you, huh?"

Minako was just about to come up with some really biting retort to that when she noticed the ugly, jagged scar on the left side of Shinjiro's chest.

"Wait," she asked, pointing at the scar. "Senpai, what's that?"

"What's…?" Glancing down at his own chest, Shinjiro apparently realized that he wasn't wearing a shirt. "Shit," he muttered, his face reddening. "I, uh…s-sorry. I'll just-!"

"Answer the question, senpai," insisted Minako.

"You know what it is," mumbled Shinjiro. "It's the scar leftover from the gunshot, obviously. That damn watch cut pretty deep into the skin when the bullet impacted. Left a nasty scar."

"Oh. Okay." Minako nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought, I just…I was worried that maybe you'd gotten into another fight. I've been away for a while, so…"

She took a step closer to the bed, and Shinjiro hastily backed as far away from her as he could, until his back was pressed up against the bedroom wall.

"H-hey," mumbled Shinjiro.

"I'm glad we found that watch," she told him. "I'm grateful to it. If it hadn't been for that watch, I'd never have been able to see you again. It could have been so much worse..."

Reaching out, she ran her fingers gently over the twisted fissure of the scar. Shinjiro sucked in a sharp breath and recoiled still further.

"Oh…does it hurt?" Minako dropped her hand away. "I'm sorry, I didn't think-!"

"N-nah," muttered Shinjiro confusedly, clearing his throat. "That's not it. Forget it."

He tried to look away, and when Minako peered into his face, she realized that he was now even more flushed than he had been before.

"You're embarrassed," she accused him.

"Uh," mumbled Shinjiro. "Well, yeah, you're…I mean, I wasn't expecting you to-!"

"Why are you embarrassed?" Shaking her head, Minako laughed. "It's not like I've never seen you without a shirt before, senpai."

She grinned teasingly at him, but Shinjiro just continued to scowl.

"Don't say stuff like that," he muttered, grabbing his sweater from somewhere behind him on the bed and turning his back to her as he pulled it over his head. "It was three years ago, and it was just one night. It…didn't mean anything."

That stung, and Minako winced, biting back a cry of protest.

"That's not true," she murmured. "You know it's not true, senpai."

"I'm not your 'senpai' anymore,'" retorted Shinjiro quietly. "You got farther in school than I did, remember?"

"Okay," said Minako. "Then what do you want me to call you?"

Shinjiro grumbled something unintelligible under his breath. "Why don't you just get out of my room? I don't want you in here. I already told you, there's nothing for you, here. Go play with somebody else."

His voice was so cold, but Minako was determined not to let his words hurt her.

_It's all an act, _she reminded herself, forcing herself to keep smiling at his back. _He's always been like this. He wants everyone to believe that he's a terrible person, but he's not like that at all. Deep down, he…he cares for me. I know he does. I've seen it, and besides-!_

"Junpei told me about what you did in the Velvet Room," said Minako. "He told me about how you rushed in to save me, even though you weren't sure what Igor and the others were going to do, or what was going to happen. I…wanted to thank you for that. I thought-!"

"You thought wrong," snapped Shinjiro. "Don't get excited. I didn't do it because I wanted to be some kind of knight in shining armor. I didn't even do it for you."

Biting down hard on her lip, Minako took a deep breath. "Okay," she asked. "Then, why?"

There was a moment of tense silence between them before Shinjiro answered.

"Because of Aki," he said. "Guy's been moping around for years, talking about how he 'should have protected you' and 'he still isn't strong enough.' He wasn't ever gonna move on, and I was sick of watching him beat himself up. I figured, maybe if he could say he'd saved you, he'd grow up and snap out of it long enough to do something with his life."

"He's already doing something with his life," returned Minako. "He's going to be a policeman. He told me."

"Yeah, well," argued Shinjiro, a bit half-heartedly, "he'd probably be a better one with a little less baggage to carry around. It was starting to get annoying."

Minako just shook her head.

"You're lying," she informed him. "Akihiko-senpai was doing fine. He was almost finished with his training. He didn't need your help, and he didn't need me."

"The hell do you know," spat Shinjiro. "Anyway, of course he needs you. After all, you guys were-!"

"No," interrupted Minako quickly, "we weren't."

"You…what?" Obviously surprised, Shinjiro finally turned back around to look at her. "Wait, you guys didn't-?"

"No," insisted Minako. "We didn't. We weren't lovers. Akihiko is a treasured friend, and he always will be, but I never…we didn't' have that kind of relationship."

For a long moment, Shinjiro stared at Minako with his mouth slightly open, not saying a word.

"I…I see," he mumbled finally, shrugging it off unconvincingly and doing his best to pretend that it hadn't mattered. "Well, I guess rumors don't mean much, after all. Anyway-!"

"I think you're the one who needed me, senpai," announced Minako, pointing an accusing finger at Shinjiro's chest. "I think you went in there after me because you were lonely. I think you missed me, just like I missed-!"

Shinjiro snorted a derisive, slightly too-loud little laugh. "You're pretty full of yourself, huh? I guess some things never change. Why does it always have to be about you?"

The laugh was a little too much. Minako found herself trying to force back tears, remembering the gentle way that Shinjiro had looked at her, once upon a time when they'd been hanging out together behind the station during that fateful year with SEES. Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes for a minute and clenched her fists at her sides, feeling suddenly lonelier than she had ever since she'd returned from the Seal.

Uncertain what else to say, she plastered what she hoped was a bright, unconcerned smile on her face, and turned back towards the door.

"H-hey," muttered Shinjiro, suddenly sounding alarmed. "You…wait, don't cry."

"Don't worry," she assured him over her shoulder. "I won't. I'm fine. I'm sorry that I misunderstood."

"Jeez." For a moment, the hard edge in Shinjiro's voice dropped away, and he sounded more like his old, gentle, soft-spoken self. "Hey, Minako…"

"Enjoy your nap, senpai," murmured Minako. "I shouldn't have interrupted."

She crossed slowly to the door, half-hoping that he'd call out for her again. When he didn't, she sighed, pulled open the door and slipped out of the room, feeling heavy, confused, and uncertain of what she believed and didn't believe.

Just as she was shutting the door behind her, Minako thought she heard Shinjiro whisper "Damnit," angrily under his breath. She waited for a moment, but he jus coughed a few times, muttered something under his breath and fell silent again. Giving up, Minako let the door click shut behind her, and then stood with her back against it for a moment, rallying herself and trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"Hey." Unexpectedly, Akihiko stepped out from around the corner, and gave Minako a long, searching look.

"Oh," mumbled Minako. "Hello, senpai."

"Uh, yeah," said Akihiko. "Hi."

He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, closed it again, frowned, and then sighed.

"Look," he said. "If you want me to beat the shit out of him for you, just let me know. Not that you couldn't handle it yourself, but..."

Minako couldn't help but smile, just a little.

"I thought," she reminded him, "that you said the two of you don't fight anymore."

Akihiko shrugged. "yeah, well, this might be a good reason to start again."

He awkwardly reached out and gave her a manly, comforting little clap on the shoulder.

"Just…don't let it get to you," he advised her. "Shinji's a good guy…he has his reasons."

_Really? _Minako frowned. _And what might those be? Last time, he was afraid that he wasn't good enough' for me. Maybe the fact that Ken was out to kill him had something to do with it, too. What is it this time? _

"Everybody else is downstairs," Akihiko informed her. "They're still arguing about what to order for takeout. Yukari's probably going to kill Junpei if he suggests Chinese food one more time. She says it's too fattening. I guess those checkup results really got to her."

"Uh oh." Minako laughed. "I guess we'd better go rescue him."

"If you want." Akihiko shrugged, but he grinned and started towards the stairwell. Feeling a little bit better already, Minako turned to follow him.

Just as she was starting down the stairs towards the first floor, she was sure that she heard the sound of a door thudding gently closed behind her.

She decided to ignore it.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

Oh, Shinji.

I think that pretty much sums up this chapter, actually. So, we're done here.


	15. Tree of Life - Chapter Four

**Author's Note: **Oh god, it's too quiet in here. Everyone else is at work…where people are supposed to be on a Wednesday.

…I'm going to go out of my mind. Please, leave me a review…any review. A positive review, a negative review…just give me something to take my mind off the nervous boredom!

I'll repay you with love and frequent updates? It's all I have, but all I have, I will give.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Later that night, Minako met the other girls in Yukari's room, where they all hunkered down on a few borrowed cushions in front of Fuuka's refurbished laptop computer screen.

"So," asked Yukari, pulling two DVD cases out of her purse. "What's it going to be? I wasn't sure what everybody would want, so I got two for us to choose from. Looks like our options are 'The Big Smash,' starring Keisuke Nakano, and 'True Love in the Big City,' which actually won some pretty impressive awards in the US this year, so I guess it must be good."

Mitsuru frowned. "'True Love in the Big City?' Is that…really the title of an award winning film? I must admit, I have never been able to get into these romantic dramas. I suppose it requires a certain suspension of disbelief…something that I've always struggled to achieve."

"It's supposed to be a wonderful movie," Fuuka assured her. "The scene where the couple confesses their love to one another in the rain is one of the most romantic things I've ever seen!" She sighed dreamily. Yukari shot her a slightly concerned look.

"Oh," asked Yukari. "So, then, you've seen it, Fuuka?"

Fuuka looked a little embarrassed. "N-no, I haven't. I've only seen some of the clips online. One of Natsuki-chan's favorite actors plays the villain, so of course she always wants to talk about it. I haven't had time to rent and watch it myself."

Mitsuru smiled. "You and Miss Moriyama are still in touch, I take it?"

"Huh?" Fuuka blinked. "Of course! Natsuki and I see each other all the time. She…might be kind of disappointed if she finds out that I watched this one without her, though. I think she wanted to show me herself."

"That's fine." Yukari nodded. "We can watch the other movie instead, if you want. Actually…I think I'd prefer 'The Big Smash.' Keisuke Nakano's not a bad looking guy, and besides, I'd rather watch buildings explode and trains go up in flames than people confessing their love, any day."

Aigis frowned. "Really, Yukari-chan? Haven't we seen enough explosions for perhaps more than one lifetime, already? I do not find explosions particularly interesting. The nuance of human emotion is far more intriguing than the rather sordid aftermath of trains that catch on fire."

"I…confess that I share Aigis' view that explosions are a little tedious," murmured Mitsuru. "I would probably, however, prefer explosions to love scenes, if those are our only choices."

Yukari sighed. "Seriously, Mitsuru-senpai, you're pretty hard to please."

"We are at an impasse," remarked Aigis. "Fuuka-chan and I would prefer the romantic film, while Mitsuru-senpai and Yukari-chan seem more interested in the action film. Minako-chan, your vote will decide the matter."

Everyone turned and looked expectantly at Minako.

"Well," asked Yukari. "What's it going to be, oh fearless leader?"

"Choose wisely," murmured Mitsuru, chuckling to herself. "This decision may be an important one."

Minako laughed, and threw a pillow in Mitsuru's direction. Startled, Mitsuru didn't quite manage to duck in time, but Aigis intercepted the pillow before it managed to do any damage.

"Crisis averted," reported Aigis, smiling.

"Sorry, guys," announced Minako, "but I'm with Yukari. Explosions are exciting. Train chase scenes are exciting. Romance sometimes makes me want to fall asleep. If it's up to me, then we're watching 'The Big Smash.'"

"Yes!" Yukari pumped one fist enthusiastically in the air. "I've actually really been looking forward to seeing this. I'm excited!"

"Hmm…" Aigis honestly looked a little disappointed. "Well, perhaps it will not be that bad. I will attempt to maintain an open mind."

Fuuka smiled at Aigis. "Don't worry, Aigis," she said. "I'm sure Natsuki wouldn't mind if you came and watched the other movie with us."

"Yeah," agreed Yukari. "You should invite Junpei, too. He's been all weird and sentimental lately. I bet he'd love a good sappy romance drama."

"Junpei?" Minako stared at Yukari. "Wait, are we talking about the same Junpei? The guy who dragged me to watch 'Double Barreled Justice' the first day that it came out? That Junpei?"

Yukari shrugged. "Yeah, I know, it's weird, but…he's kinda different, lately."

"No doubt," suggested Aigis, "Chidori's death has had something to do with his recent and more sentimental change of heart."

"Oh…" Fuuka shot a startled look at Aigis. "Yes, I…I'm sure that has something to do with it."

The atmosphere in the dorm room suddenly got a little heavier, and for a moment, everyone stared at their own shoes or pillows, apparently uncertain of how to continue the conversation.

Aigis looked awkward. "I…seem to have spoiled the mood of the party," she muttered apologetically. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have said-!"

"No, Aigis, it's okay," interrupted Yukari. "I'm the one that brought it up. Sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking. I shouldn't make fun for him for something like that. He's had a pretty hard time, after all."

"Did you know about it, Minako?" Fuuka frowned. "Chidori-san…she passed away. It was a little less than a year ago."

"Yeah." Minako nodded. "Junpei told me, today. That's…I mean, I was really sorry to hear about that. He must have been devastated."

"That's an accurate way of putting it," agreed Mitsuru quietly."I believe that he is struggling more with this loss than he did the first time. Perhaps time really does heal all wounds, but…"

Mitsuru shrugged, looking frustrated.

"Senpai," asked Minako hesitantly. "I wanted to ask you…what really happened to Chidori?"

Mitsuru, Aigis, Yukari and Fuuka all shot Minako startled looks.

"What 'really happened?'" Mitsuru frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Junpei said that she got sick," clarified Minako, "but that the doctors didn't seem to know what was wrong. She died in the hospital right around the corner, didn't she? You all knew about it, so…senpai, I know you couldn't have left it at that. You must have looked into her death, or at least had an autopsy done. I think you probably know why she died."

She gave Mitsuru a long, steady, searching look.

"I…yes," murmured Mitsuru eventually, averting her eyes and clearing her throat uncomfortably. "It's true…the Kirijo doctors performed a thorough examination. I was…confused, and upset, of course. It really seemed so strange and sudden. I wanted answers. We all did."

"S-senpai," whispered Fuuka warningly. "Akihiko-senpai told us not to-!"

"No, Fuuka,' interrupted Yukari, shaking her head firmly. "Minako has a right to know. We're all going to have to face it sooner or later, anyway."

"What?" Minako looked back and forth between Mitsuru and Yukari, confused. "What do I have a right to know? What's going on?"

Mitsuru sighed.

"Arisato," she began, "do you remember the pills that members of the group called Strega used to take? They were pills that supposedly suppressed the power of one's persona, and prevented a persona-user from losing control. Chidori took them regularly, even after we confined her to a hospital bed. I believe that the two called Takaya and Jin took them as well."

Minako nodded. "I remember," she said.

"Well," continued Mitsuru, taking a long, steadying breath, "after you…" She paused, winced, and then started over. "Rather, after the Great Sealing took place, I had the Kirijo Corporation pharmacists and doctors study some of those pills. They deconstructed them, analyzed the contents, and performed experiments on various test subject animals…rats, and mice, primarily."

"Poor rats," whispered Fuuka, although no one really seemed to be paying her any attention.

"What we discovered," Mitsuru was saying, "was both remarkable and horrifying. First of all, the pills were already well known for having a detrimental effect on a person's physical body. Something in their chemical makeup causes a breakdown in the immune system, preventing the taker from fighting off diseases. It's terrible, but with modern medicine, at least we're able to fight those side effects. Artificial white blood cells can be created. It is possible to survive for many, many years, even with a compromised immune system."

Minako nodded. "Yes," she said. "I think I remember that."

"I see." Mitsuru paused, frowned, then slowly continued. "What we did not realize," she went on "is that those pills had another, perhaps much more terrible side effect. As we discovered during our investigation of their contents, the pills were designed to quietly quell or rather destroy certain parts of a person's soul."

"To destroy the soul?" A little shiver shot down Minako's spine. "Well…I guess that does at least make sense. I mean…if a persona is 'the strength of the heart,' or 'a manifestation of your soul,' then suppressing the immune system wouldn't be enough to fight it."

"Precisely," agreed Aigis.

"But…why would you do that to yourself?" Yukari looked frustrated. "It's pretty awful."

"The very idea of destroying a section of your soul is a horrible one," Mitsuru went on. "The more damage that the pills did to the soul, the weaker and weaker the soul became, By the time that Chidori finally stopped taking the pills, the damage had already been done. It was only a matter of time until her soul was no longer strong enough to maintain her body. After only a few years her soul collapsed, and subsequently she died, quite quietly, in her sleep."

"The doctors weren't sure what she died of," added Fuuka sadly. "At least...not the regular doctors."

"Our people know a great deal more about the power of persona now than they did three years ago, when we first encountered Chidori's case," murmured Mitsuru. "Perhaps if we'd better understood the pills then, we'd have been able to save her. As it is...by the time we figured it out, it was far too late. To this day, the incident is labeled as 'unexplained.' Perhaps it's better that way. There's no benefit in making any of this public."

Minako was, at this point, only half-listening to what Mitsuru was saying. There were alarm bells ringing in the back of her mind, as she realized all at once what this really meant.

"Shinjiro-senpai," she mumbled. "He used to take those pills too…right?"

For a long moment, no one said anything.

"Yes," sighed Mitsuru eventually. "That's correct."

_Wait, _thought Minako desperately, _wait, no. This can't be. If what Mitsuru's saying is true, then…!_

"But…he doesn't take them anymore," she insisted quickly. "He stopped taking them years ago, right? So…he's going to be fine."

"It…doesn't work like that," whispered Yukari miserably. "It's like Mitsuru-senpai said…the soul can only take so much. After a while, the damage gets pretty bad. By then, it's too late."

"No," whispered Minako. "What are you saying? I don't believe it."

"Unfortunately it is not a question of belief," said Aigis. "It pains me to say so, but…Shinjiro-senpai is dying."

Suddenly, Minako felt that same cold hand clench around her heart, and she finally recognized the source of the terribly uneasy feeling she'd experienced while talking to Junpei in Chidori's old hospital room.

_Dying, _she thought. _He's…dying? No, not now! Not now that we're finally all together again. I just got him back. I just…I just found him again! Finally, everything can go back to normal, and now…he's dying? Why? Why does this have to happen?_

"We'd always known that Shinjiro was sick," Mitsuru was saying. "Akihiko remonstrated with him frequently on the subject of those pills. We all believed, perhaps naively, that once he'd stopped taking the pills, he'd begin to heal. We were certain that even if his immune system never recovered, we'd be able to keep him alive with vigilance and care. Unfortunately...it seems now that we were mistaken."

"Akihiko-senpai and Shinjiro-senpai got into some kind of big fight about it," murmured Yukari sadly. "I don_'_t know what happened, exactly, but Akihiko-senpai eventually stormed off in a huff…and he didn't come back from Osaka for a whole year, after that."

"Yes," agreed Fuuka. "I was surprised. I would have thought that Akihiko-senpai would want to spend more time with Shinjiro-senpai, knowing that…knowing that time was, um...shorter."

She faltered, and Aigis rested a firm but comforting metallic hand on her shoulder.

"As I understand it," Mitsuru informed them, "Akihiko's intention, at the time, was to defer the rest of his police academy training in order to remain here, with Shinjiro. He and I both attempted to convince Shinjiro to undergo some testing at the hands of the Kirijo group, in hopes that we might find some way of reversing the damage to his soul. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, Shinjiro refused repeatedly. I am not certain exactly what was said, but it seems some harsh words passed between him and Akihiko, and subsequently, Akihiko has not spoken to Shinjiro in almost a year. He has, of course, been keeping a close eye. He frequently asks me for updates, but…"

She stopped, shaking her head.

Minako just stared at the pillow on the floor in front of her, without really seeing it. She could feel her hands starting to shake in her lap, as the anger slowly and inexorably got the better of the sadness in her own slightly over-tortured soul. She could see Junpei's miserable face in her mind as he'd sat on the cot in the hospital, daydreaming about Chidori's first hospital stay. She saw the closed, frustrated look on Shinjiro's face as he'd ordered her out of his room, and imagined the sullen desperation in Akihiko's eyes when he'd told her at first that he and Shinjiro 'didn't really fight anymore.'

"No," she mumbled. "It's all wrong."

"Huh?" Yukari blinked. "Wait, what?"

"This isn't the way it's supposed to be," insisted Minako, a bit more loudly. "None of this was supposed to happen."

"Minako-chan," whispered Fuuka.

"You were all supposed to be safe," continued Minako, maybe more to herself than to anyone else. "You were all supposed to be healthy, and happy. That's what it was all for. That's why I did it. That's all that mattered! So, why? How the hell did everything go so wrong?"

Hot angry tears started to well up in the back of her eyes. Unable to keep still anymore, she threw off the pillows and jumped to her feet.

"I have to go," she said, then turned and headed for the door.

"Wait, Arisato!" Mitsuru struggled to stand up as well. "Where are you going?"

"Please," began Aigis, "have patience, Minako-chan. You must calm down."

Minako, however, could not calm down.

_I made a deal, _she thought. _I would make a choice, and I would 'abide by the consequences of my actions.' This isn't what I chose. This isn't fair! _

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I…I'll see you later."

Without a backward glance, she strode quickly out of the room, and across the hall to the stairwell.

When she knocked on Shinjiro's third-floor bedroom door, again, there was no answer. Not bothering to wait, she pushed her way in, and found that, this time, the room really was empty.

_Where is he? _Frustrated, she tried to imagine where he might have gone. _I don't hear anyone downstairs. Could he have gone out to the store, or something? Maybe he's in Akihiko's room, or with Ken? _

Turning, she started towards Akihiko's bedroom, but stopped as Koromaru suddenly acme loping up the stairs from below, panting and making a bee-line straight for her.

"Arf," announced Koromaru, butting his head into her legs and nuzzling insistently against her knees.

"Koro-chan…" Bending down, Minako instinctively ran her fingers through the soft fur of his back. Koromaru growled appreciatively, and Minako suddenly threw her arms around him and held him there for a moment, letting his enthusiastically wagging tail whack repeatedly into her legs.

"Grr," mumbled Koromaru insistently, pulling himself away from her and turning to head back towards the stairwell. At the top of the stairs, he turned and looked back at Minako expectantly.

"Rruff," he said.

"Okay," agreed Minako. "I'm coming."

She let Koromaru lead her down the stairs to the first floor, then across the hallway and out onto the front stoop.

"Woof," announced Koromaru, pointing his snout across the street at Shinjiro, who was standing on the sidewalk, coughing into his coat sleeve as the moon rose overhead.

"Good boy, Koro," whispered Minako, patting him on the top of the head. "Thank you for helping me find him."

Koromaru nipped gently at Minako's hand by way of saying goodbye, then turned and pranced back into the dorm, tail still wagging as he went.

"Senpai!" Minako rushed across the street to Shinjiro's side.

"Huh?" Hearing his name, Shinjiro looked up. His eyes widened when he saw Minako, and for just one tiny, fleeting moment she was sure that she saw a look of intense relief pass across his face. Then, just as quickly, he was scowling at his shoes again, not meeting her eyes.

"You," he mumbled, without malice.

"Yes," agreed Minako. "Me."

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note: **'

So yeah, maybe should have warned you that this one was going to get a little dark. Then again, if you've ever read my stuff before, then perhaps you already knew…


	16. Tree of Life - Chapter Five

**Author's Note: **It has been a terribly long and busy weekend for poor Ari. Still, it looks like we're going to make it all the way through to Monday, despite a few setbacks and malfunctions.

I've been looking forward to writing this chapter ever since Friday. Let's see if I can finish it before I have to go back to the theater for set up.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Shinjiro looked as if he wanted to say something. Then he grimaced, shook his head, and sighed.

"I didn't think you'd be back," he told her, shrugging. "Figured you were done with me, after all that stuff I said."

Minako raised an eyebrow at him.

"So," she asked, "is that what you wanted?"

Shinjiro made no answer. He just coughed a couple of times and didn't meet her eyes.

"You wanted me to avoid you, is that it?" Shaking her head, she planted both hands on her hips and glared at him. "You were trying to scare me away, weren't you?"

"Should have known it wouldn't work," muttered Shinjiro, laughing a little under his breath.

"Why?" Minako bit her lip, trying to force back the anger welling up inside of her. "Why are you pushing me away?"

"Let's not do this," mumbled Shinjiro. "Come on. Drop it."

"I found out about Chidori," she went on, ignoring his pleas. "I know what happened to her in the hospital. I know what they found out about the pills, and I know about…"

She trailed off, not quite certain how to go on. Shinjiro just shrugged.

"Yeah, well," he muttered, "I figured you would, eventually. Now you know."

"Now I know…what?" Minako frowned.

"You know why I can't give you what you want," returned Shinjiro. "I probably don't have much time left. I'm not gonna let you waste yours just watching me die."

"Senpai," began Minako, but Shinjjrio cut her off before she had a chance to even finish the sentence.

"Look," he said, sounding tired. "We didn't put our lives on the line in that weird Velvet Room place so that you could come back here and be miserable. You're supposed to be happy. You deserve it. I can't make you happy. All I've ever been good for is making you sad. Well, we're done with that, now. You've got a whole, good life ahead of you, and I'm glad about that…even if it means that I can't be a part of it."

He stopped, talking, and Minako opened her mouth to protest, but before she had a chance, Shinjiro started coughing again. It was one of those long, painful-sounding coughing fits, full of rasping noises and dry, unpleasant sounds that twisted up her insides.

Eventually, silence fell between them again.

"I can't believe it," she whispered, shaking her head.

"Sorry," muttered Shinjiro. "It is what it is, whether you believe it or not."

Clenching both fists at her sides, Minako gritted her teeth. "No," she told him, looking angrily up into his face. "I can't believe that you're giving up!"

Startled maybe by the pain and anger in her voice, Shinjiro finally looked up and met her gaze.

"You're awful," she shot at him. "How can you not even try? Mitsuru-senpai said that you won't even let her try to help you. The Kirijo Corporation doctors can do some amazing things. She wanted you to let her run some tests, but you refused. Why? Because you're too scared? Because you're too tired?"

"Something like that, maybe," mumbled Shinjiro. "Anyway, it wouldn't do any good."

"How," demanded Minako, "do you know?"

"Tch," snorted Shinjiro. "You've been in that Seal thing for three years, right? Well, I haven't. I've been living in this dying body for three years, and I get the signals. I know what it's telling me. It's no good, Minako. There's no point in trying to challenge fate. The sooner you get that through your head, the better you-!"

"No point in challenging fate?" Again, Minako cut him off. "Then did why did you run in after me, in the Velvet Room? If that wasn't 'changing fate,' then what do you call it?"

This time, Shinjiro didn't seem to have a response. He opened his mouth, then stopped, sighed, and shut it again.

"Hey," he began.

"You're so selfish," muttered Minako. "You're always telling me that I never listen to what anyone else wants, but you're the selfish one, senpai."

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah? How do you figure that?"

"Because," she insisted, frustrated, "you don't care about anybody but yourself. You don't care about how the rest of us feel. Think of Akihiko-senpai. Do you think he wants you to die? No, he'd want you to fight! He was willing to stay here and put off his training so that he could help you fight."

"He's wasted too much time on me already," retorted Shinjiro. "Now that it's over, maybe he'll finally be able to move on with his life. I'm only holding him back. I'm not gonna let worrying about me keep him from those big dreams he's always had. I'm glad he's finally doing something about them."

"He doesn't want to 'move on with his life,'" snapped Minako. "He wants to live it with you!"

Shinjiro shrugged." We can't always get what we want," he said.

"I'm not ready to accept that," returned Minako. "I…"

She stopped and swallowed hard as the tears threatened to spill forth all of a sudden. When she was sure she had herself under control, she spoke up in a voice that came out somehow much smaller, much less confident, more like a startled, frightened child than an angry, aggressive leader of men.

"I…want to live my life with you," she told him simply.

Peering up into his face, she finally closed the distance between them and grabbed him by both sleeves, forcing him to look her in the eyes.

"H-hey," he mumbled. "Don't look at me like that…."

She gripped hard at his sleeves, pulling herself closer to him and resting her head on his chest, suddenly wanting more than ever to feel his warmth, to know that he was safe, alive and there with her.

"Nngh," muttered Shinjiro, stiffening at her touch. She could feel him shaking slightly beneath her hands, and she wondered if maybe he was cold, or too sick to be outside , or if maybe he was feeling something just as strongly as she was, even if he wouldn't admit it.

Finally, Shinjiro let out a long, frustrated sigh, then gathered her quickly into his arms and pressed a rough little kiss to the top of her head.

"Jeez," he whispered, not for the first time that day. "Don't cry. I can't stand being the guy who makes you cry all the time."

She clung to him, burying herself deeper in his embrace, and then looked up at him, staring defiantly into his eyes for a moment.

"Senpai," she began again, but again, Shinjiro didn't let her finish. With one quick movement, he drew her tight against him and bent his head down to hers, until their lips met. His hands tightened suddenly around her waist as he kissed her, and Minako closed her eyes, leaning eagerly into the kiss as it deepened and intensified, his tongue pushing its way into her mouth and tendrils of his unkempt hair tickling the sides of her face.

"Damnit," he whispered breathlesslyas he finally released her and pulled away. "Now look what you've done. Even after three years, I still can't trust myself around you."

Opening her eyes, Minako looked up into his face and him found him obviously frustrated, annoyed and pink in the cheeks.

"I love you, senpai," she told him, because there didn't seem to be anything else worth saying.

Shinjiro winced and shook his head. "No, you don't," he mumbled. "You probably say that to all the guys."

"Huh?" Minako stared. "What do you mean?"

Suddenly, Shinjiro looked awkward and uncomfortable. Rubbing one hand nervously along the back of his neck, he told her, "You know uh…those other guys. Look, I…it's not like I don't know. Anyway, it's none of my business what you do, or what you did. Its' not like we were…uh." He paused, obviously struggling, and then finished under his breath, "you were never my girl, anyway."

That stung a little bit, even though Minako could tell just by the pained look on Shinjiro's face that for some reason it was hurting him, too, far more than it had hurt her.

_He's talking about Ryoji, _she realized. _And…um, Theodore, too. I_ _guess someone must have told him. Junpei, maybe? Not that it matters. Love isn't like that. You don't have to love just one person. Did I love those men? Yes, I'm sure I did, but…maybe it was different. Maybe I didn't love them the same way that I love him. Maybe you never love anyone exactly the same way that you love someone else. Every love is unique. They're all special, and sacred. One doesn't mean the end of another. Love isn't something that ever just…ends._

"Senpai," she told him quietly. "I loved you first."

If anything, Shinjiro's face only got redder, although he did start to look very slightly less miserable. "Yeah," he said, coughing awkwardly and clearing his throat. "Yeah_…_I remember."

Minako waited, but for a long moment, Shinjiro didn't come up with anything else to say. Behind them, a solitary car shrieked down the street, out of place on this deserted road in what was rapidly becoming the middle of the night.

"Still," he muttered, musing maybe more to himself than to Minako, "I envy those guys."

"But, you don't have to," insisted Minako. "They don't-!"

"They got a lot of stuff that I didn't," he went on, ignoring her interruption. "You guys probably went to the movies together…maybe had dinner. I don't know much about dating, but I bet you had some good times. They got a chance to make you laugh. All I ever get to do is make you cry."

Reaching out, he gently traced two fingers along the side of Minako's cheek, and suddenly she really did feel like crying.

"Stay happy for me," he murmured, smiling ever-so-slightly for the first time since she'd found him standing out here alone. "Do a sick guy a favor; let me see you smile. That'd be nice."

Swallowing hard against an upswell of emotion, Minako shook her head.

"I want you to fight," she said. "I'll never be happy unless you promise me that you're going to find a way to beat this. I'll help you; we'll all help you. I promise you, senpai…I'm not going to let you die. Then we'll finally be able to have all those things…the good times. I'm looking forward to it."

She smiled encouragingly at him through the pain, but Shinjiro wasn't looking very happy any more.

"Tch," he muttered. "What about when it doesn't work? What'll you do when, in spite of all the hope and all the work you put in, I still keel over and die in a few months? What are you gonna do, then?"

Minako looked him squarely in the eye, and told him steadily, "then I'll be there with you, at the end. I want to be. No one should have to face the end alone."

His eyes widened for a moment, and then slowly, almost incredulously, he started to smile.

"You're something else," he muttered. "I…no, forget it."

Reaching out to her, he folded her into his arms again, and this time when he kissed her it was far less urgent and almost wonderingly gentle, as though she was some sort of fragile thing that might break if he held her too tightly.

"Go back to your room," he told her as he let her go again.

"What?" No, I-!" Minako opened her mouth to protest, but Shinjiro just shook his head and turned away.

"I'll think about it," he said.

Minako stopped and stared, wondering if she'd understood that right. "You'll…think about what, senpai?"

"The tests," replied Shinjiro, shrugging. "I'll think about it. You're a hard woman to refuse."

"You'll…you'll do it?" A slow smile started spreading across Minako's face as she realized what hew as agreeing to. "You mean it?"

"Maybe," muttered Shinjiro. "Now, get out of here. Go back to your room. Go back to our party with the other girls. Weren't you guys having a movie night, or something?"

Quite honestly, Minako had no desire whatsoever to go back to watch movies at this point. She wanted to stay out with Shinjiro and talk to him more, but it was obvious from the closed look on his set face that he wasn't going to entertain any more conversation tonight.

"All right," she said eventually. "Um…good night, senpai."

Shinjiro scowled. "Already told you, I'm not your senpai."

"Then," repeated Minako for the second time that day, "what should I call you?"

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow. "I've got a name," he said.

Minako nodded. "Okay," she said. "In that case…goodnight, Shinji."

At the sound of his name, Shinjiro looked embarrassed, then coughed a couple of times and turned away from her.

"Y-yeah," he managed. "Uh…night."

Lingering for a moment on the sidewalk beside him, Minako eventually turned around and headed across the street and back into the dorm.

The lights were still on in Yukari's room when Minako got up to the second floor, and she stood there for a moment, wondering if she should try going back in and rejoining the party.

_I think I sort of…destroyed the party, actually, _she realized. _If anyone's in there, I doubt they're watching movies. It might just be Yukari up studying. I shouldn't bother her. _

Instead, she turned around and headed for her own room, filled delectably and dangerously with the familiar and welcome feeling of hope.

**To be continued…**

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**Author's End Note: **Yay, I enjoyed writing that.

Thank you fo**r **your patience, and for continuing to read!


	17. Tree of Life - Chapter Six

**Author's Note: **I wrote this last night, but I fell asleep before I could upload it. Terribly sorry.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Minako fell asleep pretty quickly once she'd gotten back to her room and into her bed.

Almost as soon as she'd closed her eyes, she opened them again only to find herself in the midst of a familiar, brilliantly blue dream.

She was standing in the center of the Velvet room, gazing at the place where Igor usually sat, pouring over his mysterious cards.

Something was different now, however. Igor was nowhere to be seen, and the normally peaceful and placid room was filled with a strange rhythmic thumping noise that sounded as though someone was banging hard on all of the four walls at once.

_It's…a heartbeat, _Minako realized, alarmed. _It sounds like someone's heart is beating all throughout the room, but…it's so loud. I'm not_ _just hearing it…I'm feeling it. I can feel it in head, and in my chest. It's…it's not my heartbeat, is it?_

Somehow, Minako knew that the sound she was listening to wasn't coming from inside her. It wasn't her own heartbeat, even though she could feel it reverberating through her with every pulse.

Inexplicably and suddenly, Shinjiro's face appeared in the back of her mind, smiling the soft and almost incredulous smile that he'd given her just before they'd parted company for the night.

Minako frowned. _Is it Shinjiro-senpai's heartbeat? It is, isn't it? I can feel him, somehow…_

Suddenly, the rhythmic pounding skipped and faltered for a moment. Minako felt a strange aching twinge in her chest, or maybe inher very soul, and she winced, shutting her eyes against a feeling that wasn't exactly pain.

When the heartbeat began again and the awful feeling subsided, she opened her eyes to see Theodore standing a few feet away from her, gazing at her with something sad and vaguely wistful in his eyes that she'd only seen there once or twice before. Gone was his usual confident, polite enthusiasm, and in its place was something that looked almost like pity.

"Theo?" Minako started towards him, reached out for him, and was then instantly distracted by a flash of blue out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head quickly just in time to see a magnificent, almost unearthly blue butterfly disappear into thin air against the Velvet Room wall.

"And so," intoned a voice that Minako was sure she recognized, but couldn't quite place. "It begins again…"

"What? What begins? What's-? Who are you?" She tried to call out, but even as she spoke, the world around her began to spin, dissolve, and change. Before she knew it, she was sitting bolt upright in her own bed again, and early morning sunlight was streaming in through the window beside her. The terrible, aching thumping sound and feeling were both gone, and for a moment she sat there, breathing slowly and trying to decide if what she'd seen and felt was only a dream, or was a genuine visitation from the denizens of the Velvet Room.

_I'll go today, _she thought. _I'll go ask Theo myself. There's probably still an entrance to the Velvet Room in the back alley at Paulownia Mall, right? I'll go check it out later. Whatever that was, it didn't feel like a dream. Then again, maybe I'm just being paranoid…_

It was then, in the midst of that nervous reverie that Minako smelled something wonderful wafting through the crack in her bedroom door. Frowning, she jumped out of bed, pulled back her hair, threw on a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants and headed for the hallway.

Out in the hall, the smell was much stronger. Someone, Minako realized, was doing something delicious in the downstairs kitchen. Yawning and trying to shake off the nasty feelings leftover from the not-dream, Minako headed down the stairs, and found Shinjiro standing over the stove in the kitchen, frying pancakes and mumbling tunelessly to himself. Despite the warmth of the kitchen and the early hour, he was all bundled up in his coat and hat, and had his back to her, obviously not having noticed her presence, yet.

"Mmm," murmured Minako, smiling. "That smells amazing!"

"Wha…?" Shinjiro stopped, gently placed the frying pan down on the stove, then turned around and saw Minako.

She grinned at him. "Good morning, senpai!"

Shinjiro blinked, then looked awkward for a moment and scratched uncomfortably at his forehead. "Oh, uh…hey. You're up early."

"I…had a bad dream, I think." Again, she yawned. "Are you making breakfast?"

Shinjiro just nodded.

Minako inhaled appreciatively. "I can't remember the last time I had pancakes for breakfast," she told him. "It must have been years ago. You've inspired me. Now I'm craving pancakes. Maybe I'll go out and see if I can find a cheap brunch deal somewhere. I don't remember there being any good breakfast places around here before, but…"

"Here." Before Minako had a chance to finish the thought, Shinjiro whipped two of the pancakes out of the pan, and tossed them expertly on to a nearby plate. He frowned at them for a moment, then handed the plate over to Minako. "Don't go out. These'll probably taste okay."

Minako blinked. "For me? Wait, are you sure? But, these are your breakfast. I wasn't trying to poach food, honestly. I just meant that it smelled good, so I was getting hungry."

Shinjiro's cheeks turned slightly pink. "No, um…it's fine. Actually, uh…"

He mumbled something so far under his breath that at first, Minako wasn't sure she'd heard him right. It sounded an awful lot like he said "…made them for you, anyway."

"Senpai?" Minako raised an eyebrow at him, but Shinjiro just coughed and pretended he hadn't said anything, focusing on the next batch of pancakes that he was sizzling in the pan.

Smiling, Minako took the plate he'd offered and brought it over to the empty dining table that still stood in the center of the room. Seating herself as near as she could to the kitchen, she took a bite and savored the warm, perfectly browned pancake that she knew no cheap breakfast restaurant would ever be able to reproduce.

After a few moments of only slightly awkward but basically companionable silence, Shinjiro spoke up again.

"So," he asked. "Any good?"

"They're delicious," replied Minako emphatically. "You're an amazing cook. I'm sort of jealous."

"Heh." For just a moment, Shinjiro started to smile, and Minako started to feel warm and wonderful inside, buoyed far more by that rare show of pleasure than by the yummy pancake breakfast.

At that moment, footsteps sounded on the steps behind her, and Minako turned around to see Akihiko stretching both arms over his head and blinking sleep out of his eyes as he strode into the room.

"Oh," he said, nodding at her. "Morning, Minako. Something down here smells great. Are you cooking?"

Shinjiro looked up from his frying pan, and for a moment, his eyes met Akihiko's.

"Shinji?" Akihiko looked genuinely surprised. "Oh,uh…man, this is…new."

Shinjiro glared at him. "What the hell are you talking about? I cook for you all the damn time. You'd get sick and die of some kind of weird protein poisoning if I didn't."

"Well, I mean… you used to, sure, but, uh…" Akihiko fumbled, then shook his head and said, "it's kinda been a while. A year or so, maybe."

"Tch," muttered Shinjiro. "You hungry?"

Akihiko blinked. "Who, me?"

"Obviously. You see anybody else around her who isn't eating?" Shinjiro jerked his head at the vacant seat next to Minako.

"Uh…" Akihiko was clearly at a loss.

"Sit," ordered Shinjiro. "Or don't you have any manners left after spending all your time with those assholes in Osaka?"

Without another word, Shinjiro turned back to his frying pan, and Akihiko stared for a moment, then shrugged and sat down, giving Minako a slightly helpless look.

She beamed at him. "This is really good," she told him. "Shinjiro-senpai is amazing."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko. "Yeah, that's for sure. Nobody else can make a pancake like Shinji. Not sure what it is about him…but there is something magical about his cooking."

"Shut up," muttered Shinjiro as he carried a plate heaping with pancakes over to the table. He plopped it down in between Minako and Akihiko. "It's not magic. Anyone can cook."

Akihiko and Minako exchanged a quick, knowing glance.

"Not anyone," retorted Akihiko.

"Oh, come on, senpai," murmured Minako. "Cut Fuuka some slack. She tries really hard…"

"Something to be said for making an effort," mumbled Shinjiro before turning around and heading back into the kitchen.

Shooting one more bemused glance in Shinjiro's direction, Akihiko shrugged, picked up his fork and began enthusiastically scarfing down one of the pancakes.

"Mmmph," he mumbled around a huge mouthful of pancake. "You were right, Minako…this is incredible. I had forgotten that food could even taste this good."

"You eat too fast," muttered Shinjiro. "Quit shoveling it into your face like that. You're gonna make yourself sick. Besides, Minako's watching you."

"Who cares?" Akihiko shrugged. "Have you ever seen her eat? She's could give me a real run for my money in a ramen-eating contest. This one time, she even-!"

"Senpai!" Minako glared at him. "That's enough! Yukari's right, you really don't know how to talk about girls!"

Akihiko looked startled, and Minako grinned to show him that she was joking.

"Oh, yeah," mused Akihiko, nodding thoughtfully. "I guess you are a girl…but, anyway, you sure don't eat like one."

"What?" Minako stared. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She picked up her fork and aimed it in his direction. Akihiko held up both hands in protest and scooted his chair a little farther away from the table.

"Hey, come on," he insisted hurriedly, "it was a compliment! Don't throw stuff!"

Minako giggled, and then Akihiko started to grin. They shared a quick laugh, and then went quickly and happily back to their excellent pancakes.

It was only a few moments later, while Akihiko was enthusiastically in the midst of his fourth pancake that Minako looked up and found Shinjiro watching them both with a strange, wistful sort of look on his face that was somewhere between a half-smile and a grimace.

"Senpai?" Minako raised an eyebrow. Shaking his head, Shinjiro turned away.

Breakfast went on like that in pleasant silence for a while longer. Eventually, Akihiko finished his plate full of pancakes, then sighed contentedly, stretched his neck from side to side and pushed himself away from the table.

"I should get going," he said. "I'm supposed to go for a run this morning. Might need to modify my plan a little bit if I'm going to burn all of this off, but…it was worth it."

He grinned over at Shinjiro, who pretended not to notice.

"I'll take care of your plate, senpai," Minako told him.

"Oh, yeah?" Akihiko gave her a grateful little smile. "You're the best, Minako. Thanks a bunch. Oh, and…thanks for the food, Shinji."

This time, Shinjiro did at least turn around.

"You're, uh, welcome," he mumbled. "Don't hurt yourself on your run."

"Hah. I'll try not to." Taking one last, deep, contented breath, Akihiko headed to the door, pulled on his shoes, and then started off to complete his training regimen for the morning, leaving Shinjiro and Minako alone together in the kitchen.

"Senpai," suggested Minako, gathering up both her and Akihiko's empty plates, "why don't you let me clean up? You cooked for us, after all, so it's the least I can do to help."

Shinjiro just shook his head. "Forget it," he said. "You don't have to help. You've probably got plenty of other stuff to do, today."

"Me?" Minako frowned thoughtfully. "No, not really. I need to go and apologize to Yukari for spoiling her party last night, and I was thinking that maybe I should go into town and pick up an apology present, but other than that, I don't have any plans."

"Oh…y-yeah?" Shinjiro coughed, suddenly looking a bit awkward again. "Well, uh, in that case…you want to do something?"

He gave her a strange sort of half-defiant, half-hopeful look that left him seeming somehow both surly and nervous at the same time.

Minako started to smile. "You mean…with you? You want to do something together?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "If you want."

"I'd love to," Minako assured him, nodding emphatically. "I've been looking forward to spending some time with you every since I got back."

This time, Shinjiro flushed a bit, and again he looked almost happy.

"So," asked Minako, "where do you want to go?"

Shinjiro shrugged. "No idea. I don't know a lot of places that are any fun. Is here somewhere you like? I mean, there's always Hagakure, but-!"

"But," finished Minako, "we just ate. I don't think I'll be hungry again for a while, and besides, I should really go and buy that apology gift for Yukari. Do you mind coming shopping with me?"

"Sounds good," said Shinjiro. "Where'd you have in mind?"

Minako had to think about that for a moment."Well," she mused, frowning, "I really don't know. I'm not sure what to get. I guess we could go to Paulownia mall and look around for a bit, to see if we can find anything that just screams' Yukari,' but-!"

"Nah," interrupted Shinjiro. "I've got a better idea. I'll finish these dishes, and then we can go."

He turned back to collect the pan and the plates off of the stove where Minako had deposited them.

Minako insisted on helping, even though he grumbled and tried to put her off the entire time.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Just a little light ShinjiroxMinako fluff to end our long Tuesday. I should be able to crank out the next chapter tomorrow night without much trouble, since I won't have rehearsal.

For now, though, it's time to go to the gym.

Oh, by the way; I know that we're focusing pretty intensely on Shinjiro in this story. Worry not; in future stories, I will take time to focus on/highlight other characters.


	18. Tree of Life - Chapter Seven

**Author's Note: **Ugh, sorry for the long wait. Things got way more out of hand that I expected at work…it's a long story that you definitely do not want to hear.

Anyway, I'm now on winter break. I am going to try (keyword try) to update every single day for seventeen days straight. Let's see if I can do it!

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

Shinjiro and Minako took the bus from a few blocks in front of the dorm, across to the slightly less deserted part of town.

"You know," commented Minako as they rode side by side in the back of the half-empty bus, "this is actually kind of weird. I don't think there were any bus lines around here, back when we were in school."

Shinjiro shrugged. "New development," he told her. "Part of the 'beautification of Iwatodai, or some shit like that. I guess it's more convenient. Makes it easier to get around, now."

"Yeah," agreed Minako, frowning thoughtfully, "but it was always sort of fun, walking back and forth from the dorm. It was good exercise, too. We're not exploring Tartarus anymore, so if we use the bus all the time, we'll probably start getting out of shape."

"You sound like Yukari," muttered Shinjiro, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, talk to Aki if you're worried. You guys can go running together, or something. Bet he'd love that."

There was something just a little edgy in Shinjiro's voice as he said that. Minako decided to leave it alone, and instead, she changed the subject.

"So," she asked brightly, "where are we going?"

"You'll see when we get there," returned Shinjiro.

Minako grinned. "A surprise, huh? Okay, I'm game. This should be fun."

Shinjiro just shook his head. "I wouldn't get too excited. It's nowhere special."

He had only just finished speaking when an automated voice announced over the speaker system, "Iwatodai Memorial Hospital. This stop, Iwatodai Memorial Hospital."

"This is us," said Shinjiro, pulling his coat a little tighter around him as he shuffled off of the seat.

"Huh?" Minako blinked. "Wait, we're…we're going to the hospital?"

"You'll see," said Shinjiro shortly, as the bus came to a stop. "Come on…let's go."

He started forward, then stopped, frowned for a second, and then turned around and offered Minako his hand. It was calloused and strangely cold, but when she took it and smiled up at him, he gave her a nervous, pleased sort of look and closed it tightly over hers for a moment.

The contact only lasted for a second. Shinjiro helped Minako out of her seat, and then instantly dropped her hand and started for the doors.

Minako followed him, still smiling to herself.

They passed in silence through the front doors of the hospital complex, and found that the entrance lobby was very busy, full of crying children and chattering mothers, as well as nurses rushing around and generally making themselves useful here, there, and everywhere.

"This place is always busy as hell," remarked Shinjiro, leading Minako around the corner and down a slightly less bustling corridor. "I guess illness doesn't take spring vacations."

"We're lucky to have such a well-staffed hospital in this town," replied Minako mildly. "The nurses here are always so friendly."

Shinjiro glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You don't know 'em like I do," he muttered. "Friendly's not the word."

They continued across the hallway, and then past a sign that read "Visitor's Center," until they reached a little room with the words "Gift Shop" hanging over the door. Through the glass shop windows, Minako could see that the shelves against the far wall were full of colorful flowers; big, vibrant and beautiful bouquets set in small plastic or glass vases, with tiny cards hanging off of their stems.

"Senpai?" Minako frowned. "The gift shop?"

"You…said you wanted a gift for Yukari," muttered Shinjiro, shooting Minako an almost defiant look. "So, I figured…"

He faltered, and then gestured at the flowers in the window.

"She likes flowers," he went on. "I always see ' em when I pass by her room in the morning. Has flowers all over the sills, and stuff. Nobody else has nice flowers this time of year, because it's not warm enough yet. That flower shop by the station closed last year, anyway. Dunno where these come from, but the gift shop keeps 'em nice and fresh. They're for 'get well' gifts, but I guess they'll make a good enough apology gift, assuming you change out the card."

He looked uncertainly at Minako, apparently waiting for comment.

Minako's slowly started to smile again. "Yukari does like flowers," she agreed. "They remind her of when she and her mother lived in Kyoto. This is such a wonderful idea…thank you, senpai!"

She hurried into the shop to take a look at the flowers up close, leaving Shinjiro lagging behind her.

When he turned back to look at him over her shoulder, he had a lopsided sort of half-smile on his face, and his cheeks had gone just a little pink.

It took a few minutes of looking around, but eventually Minako found a beautiful bouquet of pink and yellow lilies that she thought Yukari might really like. They managed to be delicate and vibrant at the same time – perfect for a cheery sort of 'I'm sorry' present.

She brought the flowers over to the counter and paid for them with the money that Mitsuru had lent her for the week. When she turned to look for Shinjiro, however, he was nowhere to be found.

"Senpai?" She frowned, and then peered back into the flower shop.

"Hey." Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she spun around again to find Shinjiro standing there, holding a very large plastic-wrapped bouquet of red roses in both hands.

"Uh," he muttered, "Here. These…I got these for you."

He thrust the bouquet at her, and Minako accepted it carefully, trying to juggle both the roses and the bouquet of lilies at the same time, and struggling a little bit.

"These are lovely," she managed as he almost dropped the lilies and caught them just in time. "Thank you so much, senpai…"

"Uh, it's nothing," returned Shinjiro. "I just…you know, I thought girls sort of…liked roses. Roses are uh…you know, they're…." He trailed off, gesticulating helplessly with one hand.

Minako waited, but he didn't seem to have anything else to say.

"I…don't know anything about flowers," he admitted, coughing and turning uncomfortably away.

Minako laughed under her breath, then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him briefly on the cheek.

"Thank you," she repeated. "This is really sweet." Grinning teasingly at him, she added, "It's just, I had no idea you were such a romantic, senpai."

Shinjiro snorted a derisive little laugh. "I'm not a romantic," he retorted, still looking confused and trying to hide a flush. "I just…wanted to give you something nice, that's all. I've always kinda…wanted to give you something nice."

Minako tapped the leather watch that still wore around her wrist.

Shinjiro nodded. "Y-yeah. I dunno, Feels good to see you with something I bought you. I like it. Is that…creepy?"

"No," Minako assured him, shaking her head. "Like I said, it's very sweet. I'm just not sure how I'll get them all home. I'm kind of having trouble carrying all these flowers at the same time."

Reaching over, Shinjiro deftly relieved Minako of the vase of lilies.

"I got this," he told her.

Minako nodded. "Thanks! Oh, now that we both have one free hand, we can do this."

Without giving him time to object, she grasped the hand he wasn't using for the flowers, and held it tightly in hers.

Shinjiro's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth as though he was going to say something, although no words actually came out.

"Uh," he managed finally.

"Do you mind?" Minako frowned. "I'd like to hold hands again, but…you're not wearing gloves. You'll get cold with your hands out of your pockets like this."

Shinjiro cleared his throat, then shook his head. "It's fine," he assured her. "I'm warm enough."

Minako herself was actually feeling unexpectedly chilly as they left the hospital together, hand in hand. A nasty little shiver shot down her spine just as they were stepping out into the open air, and she remarked to herself that it seemed a unusually cold outside for the beginning of the first month of spring.

"I think I might be catching a cold," she remarked to Shinjiro. "Oh, well."

Shinjiro stopped and gave her a concerned look. "Yeah? You think so? Maybe we'd better get back."

"No," she insisted, "I'll be fine. It's probably nothing."

Shinjiro, however, didn't pay her any attention. Instead, he released her hand, and then wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her close against his side, tucking her underneath his arm and shifting his coat so that it covered them both, to a certain extent.

"There," he said. "That's better. Warmer?"

"A…little," murmured Minako, who's heart had just started pounding a little faster in her chest. "Thank you…"

The bus still hadn't come when they arrived at the bus stop, and they stood together for a while, both wrapped up in Shinjiro's coat. Minako pressed herself a little closer to Shinjiro's chest, until she could hear the sound of his heartbeat, steady but strangely slow, mingling with the feeling of her own.

"This is weird," he muttered eventually. "I don't know."

"Hmm?" Minako glanced up into his face, and found that he was scowling, looking strangely confused and lost, shaking his head as he stared off into the distance where the bus would eventually be. "What's wrong?"

"I…this doesn't feel real," he mumbled. "It's all kinda like a dream…like one of those dreams I used to have when I was in the hospital. I used to imagine you were there with me, that we had all this time to just…do whatever. There was never anything to worry about, in those dreams. Felt like we could go on forever, just being us, and nothing was going to get I the way."

Minako nodded, and snuggled a little closer underneath his arm. "That sounds like a nice dream," she said.

"Yeah," muttered Shinjiro, but he was still scowling. Shaking his head, he suddenly disentangled himself from her, and pulled away.

_Uh oh, _thought Minako.

"This is a bad idea," he muttered. "We can't be doing this."

"Senpai," began Minako, but Shinjiro didn't let her finish.

"Nah," he insisted. "Shut up and listen to me. I get it, I get what you're trying to do, but it's a bad idea. We can't let ourselves get involved like this. Pretending everything's fine isn't gonna change the truth. This isn't gonna last."

"Nothing lasts forever," retorted Minako.

"Yeah, but…" Again, Shinjiro waved one hand distractedly, trying to come up with the right words. "This isn't gonna last much longer. Maybe we shouldn't even start. Might not be worth it."

Minako bit her lip, and did her best not to let herself get exasperated with the same arguments she'd already heard. "It's worth it," she assured him."I want to be with you."

"I don't want to hurt you," mumbled Shinjiro desperately. "Not again. Don't make me do it again."

"If you don't want to hurt me," whispered Minako, "then let Mitsuru give you those tests."

"Those tests again," mumbled Shinjiro under his breath. "I already told you, I-!"

"You're alive now," insisted Minako, cutting him off and spinning around to face him. "You're not dead yet, are you? So, I want you to try to live. Focus on living. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me. You don't want to make me cry, right?"

"Jeez," sighed Shinjiro. "You really are a piece of work. How many times do I have to say the same damn thing? I'm-!"

Without waiting for him to finish the thought, Minako dropped her flowers onto the bench, reached up with both arms and pulled his face down to meet hers. She kissed him slowly and deeply, trying to show him, rather than tell him exactly how badly she wanted him to live. Finally, reluctantly, he began responding to the kiss, his arms twining themselves around her waist as he leaned into her.

Eventually, he started coughing, and she had no choice but to pull away. The coughing fit went on for several long, uncomfortable moments until he finally got himself under control again.

"Sorry," he mumbled miserable. "You caught me off guard, there. That was gross."

Minako was surprised. "The kiss?"

"Huh? N-no, of course not," replied Shinjiro quickly, eyes wide. "I meant…the cough. It's not nice to cough right into somebody's face. Uh…"

For a moment, they stood gazing at each other in awkward silence.

"The…kiss was nice," he managed eventually, a bit lamely.

"I love you," she told him simply.

Shinjiro just sighed, then reached out and put his arm around her again, leaning down to give her a quick kiss on the top of the head, and muttering something unintelligible under his breath.

"What?" Minako frowned. "I didn't hear."

"It's nothing," he said, a little more loudly. "Forget about it. Here."

He retrieved her lilies from the bench, and handed them over to her.

"You dropped these," he said, probably just to fill the silence.

"Thank you," murmured Minako.

A few minutes later, the bus arrived, and the climbed on together in silence, neither of them sure exactly what they needed to say.

**Later that day…**

Back at the dorm, Minako and Shinjiro brought the flowers upstairs to the third floor.

Shinjiro hesitated on the threshold to Minako's room, stopping dead in his tracks and averting his eyes as she opened the door, as though looking inside would be some sort of crime.

Minako raised an eyebrow at him, and laughed.

"Shut up," he muttered "I've never been into your room before."

"It's not very exciting," she assured him. "Just a bedroom. I only have a few clothes in there, anyway. There's no lacy underwear lying around, if that's what you're worried about."

"It's not," retorted Shinjiro shortly.

Not bothering with any further explanation, he walked a bit too quickly into the room, and placed the flowers very carefully into two vases that they'd found and filled up in the kitchen. Then he left them on the windowsill next to the bed, and hurriedly made his way back towards the door.

"See?" Minako smiled. "Nothing scary in here."

"You shouldn't let guys into your room," muttered Shinjiro, shaking his head. "Gives them ideas."

"Are you getting ideas, senpai?" Minako waggled her eyebrows suggestively at him.

Shinjiro, as expected, turned bright red. "D-don't tease me like that," he managed, before pushing his way past her and out into the hallway.

Minako followed him out, laughing under her breath.

"Thanks for today," she told him, when they were out in the hall together. "I think Yukari will really like those flowers."

"Yeah," said Shinjiro. "I hope so."

"We should do it again sometime," continued Minako, pushing her advantage as far as she could. "Oh, and I think maybe it's my turn to make YOU breakfast, since you made me those nice pancakes this morning. I'm not a terrible cook, really, but…I'm a little worried that whatever I make won't turn out as well as yours."

"Doesn't matter," said Shinjiro simply. "If you cook it, I'll eat it, and I'll like it."

"Aw, senpai." Minako grinned at him. "I don't know if you want to promise something like that. Could be dangerous. I might try something new that I've never made before, and it'll come out tasting like trash."

"Like I said," repeated Shinjiro, shrugging. "Doesn't matter what it tastes like. I'll like it."

"You're sweet," said Minako, standing on her tiptoes to give him a teasing little peck on the lips. She tried to pull away again afterwards, but Shinjiro unexpectedly and suddenly gathered her into a strong embrace and kissed her far more eagerly and intensely than he had before. Minako shut her eyes and succumbed to his touch, and they held that pose for several long and delectable moments before Shinjiro finally released her, wide-eyed, flushed, and breathing a bit harder than he had been.

"Mmm," murmured Minako appreciatively, winking at him.

"Uh," mumbled Shinjiro confusedly, "H-hey, listen, do you…do you want to-?"

He was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Yukari, who came hurrying up the stairs from the lower level. Instantly, Shinjiro stepped back, as far away from Minako as he could. Minako sighed, and tried not to let herself feel too disappointed.

"Minako!" Yukari caught sight of her and hurried over." I've been looking for you! Oh…hi, senpai!"

Yukari shot Shinjiro a quick smile, and Shinjiro nodded at her.

"Okay," he said. "I guess I'm out. See you later, Minako."

Without waiting for a response, he turned around and headed for the stairwell. As he left, Minako could see that the back of his neck was still bright red.

"Huh," murmured Yukari thoughtfully, watching Shinjiro beat a retreat. "He left awfully fast, didn't he?"

Minako laughed. "I'll tell you about it later," she said. "Um…actually, if you have a minute, I have something for you. Would you mind coming into my room?"

"Wait, for me?" Yukari blinked. "Seriously? That's nice, but…why?"

"It's sort of an apology present," replied Minako. "I'm sorry about being such an ass last night. I totally spoiled your party…"

Still chattering away to Yukari, Minako pulled her into the bedroom to show her the flowers.

Her lips were still warm from where Shinjiro had so hungrily kissed her only a few moments before.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

We're almost done with this story! So far so good! Let's see if I can keep to my updating schedule this week!


	19. Tree of Life - Chapter Eight

**Author's Note: **Sorry guys. Looks like I've already failed by skipping an update. I only had an hour yesterday, and I ended up deciding to go the gym instead of writing. I really need to get back in shape…

As I have let you down, I will do my best to make up for it. Some day this week, I'll include an extra update.

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

A couple of days later, Junpei came back up the stairs from breakfast to find Minako standing outside his bedroom door.

"Oh, hey, Mina-tan!" He waved at her as he headed over in her direction. "Morning. You looking for me?"

Minako just smiled. "Good morning! Oh, but…no, I wasn't looking for you."

"Really?" Junpei frowned. "Then what are you doing outside my room? Wait, when I go in there, there isn't gonna be, like, some practical joke waiting for me, is there? Did you set a bucket up to dump water on my head when I open the door, or something?"

"Nothing like that," Minako assured him, laughing.

"Not the old water-bucket trick, then?" Junpei mused. "Something else? Man, now I'm kinda scared to go in there. I'm pretty sure you've got something planned. It's written all over your smirking face."

If anything, Minako's smile only broadened. "I'm going down to breakfast," she informed him. "If you get bored, come find me later. I'm not doing anything today, so if you want we can go get beef bowls or something."

"Ooooh…beef bowls," mumbled Junpei. "That's not a bad idea All right, I'll swing by later…assuming I survive whatever practical joke I'm about to walk right into."

"You'll survive," Minako assured him. For a moment, she looked thoughtful, and opened her mouth as though she had something else to say. Then, shaking her head, she shut it again and turned around.

"What?" Junpei blinked. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," returned Minako, heading back towards the third floor staircase. "Nevermind, Junpei. I'll see you later, okay?"

Junpei watched her go, then turned back and gave the door to his bedroom a dubious look. It was very slightly ajar, as though someone definitely had been in there since he'd left.

"I really gotta start locking my damn door," he muttered to himself, shaking his head. "Oh well…here goes nothing. I mean…she's a nice girl. Can't be anything too nasty, right? Uh, then again, this is probably payback for the time in high school when I rigged that can of red and black paint to explode all over her as son as she opened the bedroom door. She totally thought it was a shadow! Man, I still laugh when I think about that look on her face…"

Taking a deep breath, he reached out and pulled the door open, jumping backwards at the same time to avoid whatever it was that would probably dump or come shooting out of the bedroom.

"What the…?" As soon as he saw the bedroom, however, his jaw dropped in surprise.

There were, as far as he could tell, no precarious cans of water or bottles of exploding paint lying in wait for him. Instead, the sunlight was streaming in through the windows, highlighting the petals of vases and vases of beautiful white flowers standing all over the room. There were flowers on the windowsills, and flowers on his pillow, flowers standing on the desk and flowers on top of the dresser.

They were all pale, soft-looking flowers, except for in one vase in the very center of Junpei's bed. That vase contained a large, vibrant bouquet of big yellow sunflowers. There was a rolled up piece of paper taped to the bottom of that vase, and Junpei snatched it off, unrolling it so that he could read it.

_Hey, Junpei, _it read.

_I know this is kind of a weird thing to do, and I'm sorry that I've probably made a mess out of your room, but Shinjiro-senpai brought me to this beautiful flower shop the other day, and I saw all these flowers that made me think of you. No…I think they actually made me think of Chidori, and THAT made me think of you. I know that Chidori used to love flowers. She always sort of reminded me of a flower – fragile, but beautiful and stoic at the same time. I thought you might like to think of her, to remember her and to feel like she was with you, so I brought some of the flowers home, but…okay, to be fair, I may have overdone it a little bit._

_I've been thinking a lot about what you said the other day, in the hospital. You told me then that you 'almost wished Chidori had never come back to life.' You said that it might have been better if she'd never come alive again, so that you wouldn't have to live with the pain of losing her. I've been thinking about that, and I hope that you didn't mean it. I don't think you meant it. I don't think it really works that way._

_I know it's painful, now that she's gone. I know it hurts terribly, but that doesn't mean that there weren't some really good times when she was alive. A person's dying shouldn't destroy the happiness that we had when they were alive. We can and should enjoy the time that we have, and we should look back on those times with a smile, because even after the end, it's always worth the time we spent. She loved you very much, and I know that you loved her, too. You gave each other something wonderful, and even though it couldn't last forever, it's still beautiful. You changed her world, and she changed yours. Don't throw that memory away, even if it hurts. _

_You asked me something else, the other day. You asked me to stay with you, this time, and not to leave again. _

_Junpei, nothing lasts forever. We're all here for a short time, and in the end, we'll all leave. There's no way around that._

_For now, though, while I'm here, I'm going to try to be happy. I'm going to make the most of every moment that I have, with you and with the others. Even if it ends tomorrow, we'll all have the time that we spent…and that's all I want. Let's not waste our time wishing it could have gone on longer, or being scared that it will be over soon. Let's try to live our lives going forward, aware that the future might be awful or scary, but that we're going to live and love anyway, right now. _

_Maybe I'm not expressing myself very well. I know you get uncomfortable when I gush and talk about feelings like this, but I wanted you to know._

_I love you, and I want you to be happy. Let's be happy together. That's what Chidori would want, too. I'm sure that's true. _

_Anyway, come on by my room later and we'll do something fun. I bought that new videogame you've been raving about, but I can't seem to figure out how the battle mechanics work. It's really complicated. Maybe you can help me. _

_Don't think I'm gonna let you win, though. Once I figure out how to play it, I'm taking you down. Don't get cocky, kid. _

_Sincerely,_

_Minako_

Junpei stood for a long moment in front of those sunflowers, clutching that note in both hands. There were tears welling up at the back of his eyes, but he wasn't crying. All around the room, the flowers bloomed, their petals glistening in the light and generally filling the air with something that felt like Chidori's presence. Junpei could almost hear her voice in Minako's scribbled words.

"Right," he mumbled, nodding to himself, smiling a little at the image of Chidori swimming in the back of his mind. "Right…I get it."

The sunflowers beamed merrily at him from the center of the bed. Absently, Junpei picked them up and deposited them on the windowsill, where they could get the benefit of the most sunlight.

He taped the letter from Minako back to the vase, as well, took a deep breath, and then sat down on the bed for a moment, lost in thought.

"Carpe diem, huh?" He laughed a little under his breath. "All right…I guess I can get behind that. Thanks, Mina…"

**A bit later, on the first floor lobby…**

Akihiko and Mitsuru were discussing the situation fro two armchairs by the door.

"It seems a little too good to be true, I'll admit," murmured Mitsuru. "Surely, there's something that we're missing. It can't possibly be this easy."

Akihiko frowned. "I know what you mean, but so far, everything seems fine. The Seal's obviously still holding, or I'm sure we'd have heard about it from those guys in the 'Velvet Room.' We're all healthy. I mean, I went for a run this morning, and I'm in better form than I've been in for weeks. Life is good. Maybe we should just accept that and stop freaking out about it."

Mitsuru just shook her head. "I'd like to believe that. Really I would, but…something just doesn't feel quite right."

Akihiko shrugged.

At that moment, they both heard heavy footsteps on the stairs behind them, and turned around to see Shinjiro coming down the steps towards them.

"Hey," he grunted.

"Shinjiro." Mitsuru smiled. "Good morning."

"Yeah," muttered Shinjiro. "Morning."

He shot a quick, uncertainly surly look at Akihiko, who just raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Well," asked Akihiko. "What's up?"

"That's no way to greet somebody first thing in the morning," mumbled Shinjiro. Shaking his head at Akihiko, he turned and gave Mitsuru his full attention.

"I changed my mind," he told her.

They waited, but nothing else seemed to be forthcoming. Mitsuru looked puzzled.

"Changed your mind," she repeated. "I'm sorry, I…what have you changed your mind about?"

"Those tests," grunted Shinjiro. "I'm up for it after all. You can let your goons do whatever weird medical shit they want to me. I'm not going anywhere, so you might as well."

Mitsuru gasped. "Shinjiro…?"

"Shinji, are you serious?" Akihiko's eyes had gone wide. You're really going through with it? What the hell happened?"

Shinjiro just shrugged. "Told you already," he muttered. "I changed my mind. Is that all right, or did I miss my window?"

"No, no, of course, we'd be happy to run the tests," said Mitsuru quickly, shooting a startled glance at Akihiko. "I'll have everything in readiness by the end of the week. I'm…delighted that you're going to let us help you. We've all been terribly worried, of course, and I-!"

"Don't get excited," interrupted Shinjiro curtly. "I still don't think any 'testing' or 'research' is gonna make a difference. Still…as long as I'm stuck here, might as well do something to pass the time. Maybe you'll figure something out that'll help out the next guy. Guess it won't hurt to try….much."

For a moment, they all sat there in uncomfortable, vaguely incredulous silence.

"A-anyway," muttered Shinjiro, "that's all, so…"

Without bothering to finish the sentence, he turned around and started back up the stairs.

"H-hey," shouted Akihiko. "Shinji, wait! Look, I want to talk to you."

"Later," retorted Shinjiro. "There's something I gotta do, right now. I'll be in my room, if you want me."

As Shinjiro made his way back up the stairs, Akihiko shook his head.

"Unbelievable," he muttered. "Who would have thought that all it'd take to change his mind would be a pretty girl?"

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow at him. "You're well aware that' she's more than just a 'pretty girl.' One might say that she has always been the glue that holds us together. That's never been more apparent than it is at this moment. There's something…special about her. It's always been true."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko, nodding and sinking back into his chair." You're right about that. I guess that what being a leader is really all about. A good leader makes a team unbeatable, but without her…"

"..we begin to fall apart," finished Mitsuru. "Yes…I'd been thinking the same thing."

"Not exactly proud of that," said Akihiko. "Still, can't argue with it. Oh, well. I guess I'm fine with being good in support. After all, we're back in the fight now, aren't we?"

"Hopefully," returned Mitsuru, "we have no more fights to win. As I've already said, however, I can't help but feel that there's something still to come. Perhaps I'm unreasonably paranoid. I suppose there's cause."

"Maybe you are, and maybe not," returned Akihiko. "All we can do is be ready for it, whatever it is."

"Yes," agreed Mitsuru, sighing. "Yes...of course, you're right."

**Meanwhile, on the third floor…**

Shinjiro made his way to Minako's room, trying to decide exactly how he wanted to tell her that he'd changed his mind about the tests.

When he got there, he found that her door was partially open, and he could hear excited voices calling out from inside.

"Ouch! Uppercut right to the jaw," exclaimed Junpei. "I thought you said you didn't know how to play this game?"

"Honestly, I don't," admitted Minako. "Wait, how do you do that jump-kick thing? Up, down, left, left?"

"Nah," replied Junpei, "it's 'up, down, left', and then right and left at the same time. Try it."

There was a moment of comparative silence, during which the only sound was the tinny videogame battle music playing in the background.

"Yikes," muttered Junpei.

"Yay! I got it!" Minako sounded delighted. "Thanks, Junpei!"

"Uh," mumbled Junpei, "you're welcome? Why do I feel like I'm helping you dig my grave, or something? Eh, anyway, I'll get you this time. Get ready, Minako, because here comes hurricane Junpei! Kyaaaaaaaaah!"

Shinjiro stuck his head around the door, and saw Junpei and Minako sitting on cushions in front of the console, each with a videogame controller in their hand, battling happily away at some graphically-intense fighting game that he didn't recognize.

"Hey, ow," exclaimed Minako. "I didn't even know that was a move you could do…"

"Told you," retorted Junpei. "You may be a quick learner, Mina-tan, but you've got no chance of standing up to hurricane Junpei. Come on, let's…YIKES! Where'd THAT come from?"

Minako laughed.

Smiling to himself, Shinjiro backed away from the door and quietly started back down the hallway.

_Anyway, _he decided, _I'll tell her later, I guess. _

From behind him, inside Minako's room, he suddenly heard Junpei sneeze.

"Ew," muttered Minako. "Don't sneeze all over the controller like that"

"Haha, sorry," replied Junpei. "You got a tissue anywhere? These spring colds are pretty gross."

As Shinjiro left, the fight music and automated battle cries from the videogame followed him all the way to the stairs.

**Fin.**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Yep, that's the end of that one.

As always, I am delighted that you'v**e **continued to read thus far, and am eager to hear your opinions! I apologize if I am slower in replying these days than I used to be, but I do promise that I will get back to any and all comments as soon as possible. Thank you so much for your patience!


	20. Our Love Into Words - Chapter One

**Author's Note: **Sorry guys, another skip day. Eventually I'll stop skipping, honestly. Maybe.

In the meantime, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled fanfiction program to bring you an inappropriately-timed Christmas interlude! I hope you enjoy it. Thank you all for making this holiday seasons o much fun for me!

* * *

**Third Story:**

**Our Love Into Words**

_Probably the reason that we all go so haywire at Christmas time with the endless, unrestrained and often silly buying of gifts is that we don't quite know how to put our love into words. _

_Harlan Miller_

* * *

**Chapter One – March 21, 2012**

That evening, not long after she'd fallen asleep, Minako visited the Velvet Room in her dreams.

This time, much like last time, there was something very different about the room. Igor was nowhere to be seen, although Minako wasn't totally certain that he wasn't, in fact, somewhere in the room, still watching her.

Theodore was conspicuously absent as well, as were Elizabeth and Margaret, the other denizens of the room who she'd so recently and briefly met.

"Hello? Theo? Igor? Anybody?" As Minako stood and waited uncertainly in the middle of the floor, a nasty little chill shot down her spine, and she shivered all over.

"I'm cold," she whispered. "When did it get so cold in here? I…want to go back to sleep. Where is everybody?"

Shaking her head, she tried pulling her pajama jacket a little tighter around her shoulders, and then looked up into the startlingly gentle blue eyes of a young man she'd thought she'd never see again.

"Hello," murmured Ryoji Mochizuki, giving her one of his brilliant, unguarded smiles. "I'm so happy to see you again. It's been a long time…"

"R-Ryoji?" Minako gasped. "What are you doing here? I thought you were…"

Suddenly, something flashed in the corner of Minako's vision, and her head began to swim. The image of Ryoji changed abruptly to that of the strange little boy, Pharos, and then just as suddenly back again to that of Ryoji.

"What," whispered Minako. "What's happening to me?"

"Oh," there's nothing to be afraid of," Ryoji reassured her. "Not here, anyway. Not now."

"But…I thought you were dead," insisted Minako.

Ryoji, still smiling, just shook his head. "Something that was never alive can't die," he reminded her. "I'm a part of you…I'll always be with you. Always!"

Reaching out, he clasped both of her hands in his, and gazed into her eyes.

"Ryoji," she began, but again, the image of Ryoji suddenly flashed and changed into that of Pharos, and then back again.

The smile dropped off of Ryoji's face, and he gave Minako a long, serious look.

"I have something I have to tell you," he said, gently releasing her hands. "It's very important, and I don't have much time. Are you ready?"

Minako just nodded.

"Do you remember," asked Ryoji, "about the poisonous flowers?"

Minako tried to remember, but her head still felt a little bit strange and fuzzy. The words 'poisonous flowers' did sound vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember exactly where she'd heard them before.

"No," she admitted. "I don't remember. Wait…haven't you said something like this before? A long time ago, maybe?"

"Those blue butterflies have done their work," murmured Ryoji cryptically. "Your garden is full of poisonous flowers, now. The poison spreads from one bloom to another, like a virus. Soon, the whole garden will wither away."

"Wither away?" Minako shook her head. "That sounds terrible. I…I don't understand. What should I do? What's going to 'wither away?'"

"I'm so, so sorry," returned Ryoji, looking sad and a little helpless. "I love you so much…but that's all I can tell you. I don't know what you should do, now. I just thought you'd want to know what was coming."

Again, the room began to swim around Minako, and she realized that her time in the Velvet Room was coming to an end.

"Wait," she called. "Ryoji, please! Tell me, what is it supposed to mean? What are the 'poisonous flowers?' What's going on?"

Ryoji just gave her a sad little nod, and then turned away. As he disappeared into the walls of the Velvet Room, the whole world went black, and then Minako sat up suddenly in her own bed, drenched with sweat and shaking with leftover cold at the same time.

_That definitely wasn't just a dream, _she told herself, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and hugging herself with both arms, trying to get warm again. _I really went to the Velvet Room, just now. I can't put it off any more. Today, I have to go to talk to Theodore. Something is horribly wrong…_

It was then that she heard the shouts from outside her bedroom door, and for a moment she was sure that something terrible had already started happening in the dorm itself.

"Hey, Mina-tan," called Junpei, banging hard on Minako's bedroom door." Are you awake? You gotta see this! Look outside the window! Seriously, this is amazing!"

Minako spun around to look out the window.

Outside, it was snowing, and the big, fluffy white flakes were pelting down in beautiful cascading torrents.

"A snowstorm?" Minako stared. "But…it's the middle of March! No, it's almost the end of March."

"Isn't it cool?" Junpei was ecstatic." Hey, can I come in? Are you dressed?"

"Um…sort of?" Minako glanced down at her pajamas, and decided that they covered her up just well enough. "Okay, you can come in."

"Sweet!" Junpei shoved his way into the room, and grinned at the snowy deluge outside Minako's window. "How cool is this, right?"

Minako just nodded, frowning to herself. "Well, at least that explains why I've been so cold. It's a freak winter."

Junpei blinked. "Seriously? That's all I get? Aren't you excited? It's snowing in March! That never happens!"

In the face of Junpei's avid enthusiasm, Minako couldn't help but smile.

"You really are just like a little kid," she said, grinning at him.

Junpei grinned back." Right? Nothing wrong with that! Come on, everybody else is already up! Let's go check it out."

Grabbing her by the hand, he tugged her out of bed and almost pulled her down the stairs and into the first floor lobby.

Downstairs, the rest of the former members of SEES were clustered around the windows, mostly still in their pajamas and bathrobes, gazing out at the snow.

"It's so beautiful," murmured Fuuka delightedly. "Snow always looks so magical to me."

"Strange weather, for March," replied Mitsuru. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, based on the way the weather has been behaving lately. This climate change is more than just a little alarming."

"This is almost Christmas weather," added Yukari. "I mean, to be fair, it was kind of warm on Christmas this year, and there wasn't any snow, but…this is how it should have looked."

Ken laughed. "If the weather keeps acting up like this, maybe we'll have to move Christmas to March or April."

"Hah," snorted Akihiko." Yeah, I don't think that'll work."

"Christmas in March, huh?" Junpei frowned thoughtfully to himself. "Why the heck not? Sounds like a great idea to me!"

Everyone turned around to stare at him. Mitsuru raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"No, seriously," continued Junpei. "Why not have Christmas right now? I mean, the weather outside is perfect for a white Christmas celebration."

"Chritsmas takes place on December the 25," announced Aigis. "Therefore, it has already happened this year. Two instances of the same holiday in a signle year seems excessive."

"Yeah," retorted Junpei, "but did any of you actually celebrate Christmas in December? Come on, be honest. Did anybody do anything fun for the holidays this year?"

For a long moment, no one said anything. They glanced uncomfortably around at one another, shaking their heads.

"I was busy with schoolwork," said Yukari eventually. "I mean, we didn't have classes on Christmas day, but I had a big test to study for, so…the day off was kind of a relief."

"I decided to work on Christmas," added Fuuka. "There are so many people who need help, but so few people are available to work on Christmas. I didn't really want to go home to my parents, and Natsuki had family obligations, so I just…I worked."

"There was some kind of social event at the police academy," said Akihiko. "That's not really my kind of thing, so I stayed home."

"Yeah," agreed Ken. "One of my friends' families had a party, but…I felt sort of weird going. I didn't know most of the people there. I kind of…made an excuse at the last minute. Maybe that wasn't too mature of me…"

"Right? Right?" Junpei nodded triumphantly. "See? We all pretty much skipped Christmas this year. Besides, we were all alone, a few months ago. Isn't it more fun to celebrate Christmas when you're all together?"

"I…suppose," agreed Mitsuru hesitantly. "A holiday celebration in March is…rather unorthodox."

"And, it's not like we could get any nice food or any presents, today," interjected Yukari. "All the stores have got to be closed, and no one's going to deliver. It's snowing way too hard. We're definitely stuck inside."

"Yeah, but isn't that all the more reason for us to find something fun to do?" Junpei wasn't giving any ground. "Come on, it's a good idea. Nah, it's a great idea! Right, Minako?"

He turned to Minako, who who bit her lip, and took one last reluctant look out the front windows.

_There's something_ _I really need to do today, _she thought. _I have to go to the Velvet Room, but…honestly, Yukari's right. There's almost no chance of my getting to the mall in this weather. Maybe I can head over once the blizzard calms down, although I doubt I'll be able to get in. The mall wont' even be open, probably. _

She let out a frustrated little sigh.

Akihiko glanced at her in surprise.

"Hey," he said. "Minako, you okay? What are you sighing about?"

Minako just shook her head, and tore her eyes away from the snow outside.

"It's cool, Mina," said Junpei. "I get it. You're just annoyed that everybody isn't jumping at my idea of having a late Christmas, right? I mean, come on! Anybody got anything better to do, today? It's about time we all had a little bit of fun. We need to let off some steam!"

Shaking her head, Mitsuru slowly cracked a smile.

"All right," she murmured, laughing a little bit under her breath. "I suppose I have no reasonable argument against it. Iori, what exactly did you have in mind?"

* * *

**To be continued…**

**Author's End Note: **As this is a Christmas story, and today is Christmas, I MUST finish this story before I go to bed tonight! I will be updating sporadically throughout the day, although chapters may be a bit shorter than usual.

Please forgive me if there are more typos than usual. I'm on a bit of a time crunch, and editing may suffer in consequence. Thanks for understanding.

I hope you're allhaving fun today!


	21. Our Love Into Words - Chapter Two

**Author's Note: **Oh dear, it has not been a very merry Christmas for me, I'm afraid.

Ah, well. Perhaps this happy story will cheer me up. I hope it does the same for you!

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Okay," said Junpei. "The first thing we need, obviously, is a Christmas tree. I mean, it's not Christmas without a tree, right?"

Aigis frowned. "It will be impossible to purchase such a thing in the middle of March."

"Um, well, there are some little trees out back," commented Ken. "Not exactly Christmas-type trees, but they're better than nothing."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko. "I guess somebody planted them back there when the local government started worrying about the 'beautification' of Iwatodai. They're trying to attract some more tourism, or something."

"Wait, um…are you saying that we're supposed to go and cut down a tree in this blizzard?" Fuuka bit her lip, looking doubtful. "Isn't that sort of crazy?"

Junpei crossed his arms over his chest, and stood firm. "Look," he insisted, "it's not Christmas without a tree, okay? There's no way around it. We're gonna have to get one, one way or another. So, which one of you wants to play lumberjack, huh? Come on, you'll probably only be outside for a few minutes. I mean, how hard can it be to knock down one of those little trees?"

Everyone shuffled and looked uncomfortable.

"Wouldn't we need an axe for something like that?" Yukari just shook her head. "Where are we going to find one of those?"

At that moment, the front door suddenly blew open and a hulking figure loomed in the doorway, covered with a heavy dusting of rapidly melting snow and making a mess all over the doormat.

"Jeez," muttered Shinjiro, removing his hat and shrugging out of his sopping wet coat. "What's with this freak snowstorm? Weirdest weather I've ever seen."

"Shinji?" Akihiko blinked. "Wait, where the hell did you come from?"

Shinjiro jerked an impatient thumb over his shoulder as he swung the door closed behind him. "I was down at the hospital," he retorted, rolling up his sleeve to pull a residual piece of blue medical tape off of his arm. "They had me hooked up to the machines when it started snowing. I didn't realize what was happening outside until Mother Nature was already doing her worst. I'm just lucky I made it back."

A sudden coughing fit overtook him, and as he stood there shivering, wracked with coughs and shakes, Minako couldn't help but notice the axe handle shoved through his belt.

"Damnit," he mumbled. "It's cold out there."

"Um," murmured Fuuka, eyeing the axe. "S-senpai…"

Akihiko glanced at her, and then nodded. "Hey, Shinji," he asked. "You think I could borrow your axe for an hour or so? I'll bring it back."

"Huh?" Shinjiro glared at him. "No. What do you want my axe for?"

Akihiko hesitated for a moment before answering that question. "We, uh.." He winced, cleared his throat, and then tried again. "We want to use it to chop down a tree."

Shinjiro just stared. "What the hell…?"

"We're going to have a late Christmas," Fuuka explained, nodding enthusiastically. "Junpei-kun suggested it, because of the weather. We're going to have presents, and good things to eat…oh, but of course we need a Christmas tree, so…"

"Its' March," muttered Shinjiro. "I mean…I don't get it."

Minako shrugged, then stepped forward and took Shinjiro by the hand.

"I'll explain," she told him. "Senpai, let Akihiko-senpai use your axe, okay? Come with me, I could use some help in the kitchen."

Clearly bemused, Shinjiro allowed Minako to take his hand, and let her begin leading him away towards the tiny dorm kitchen.

"Um, hey," he called over his shoulder to Akihiko, just as Akihiko was eagerly snatching up the axe. "You be careful with that, got it? That's my best axe. Ken, you go with him and make sure he doesn't damage it…or hurt himself, now that I think of it."

"Oh, okay!" Ken jumped eagerly to his feet, and hurried to Akihiko's side. "'No problem, senpai!"

"I don't need a chaperone," muttered Akihiko, although he didn't actually object when Ken followed him outside into the snowy downpour.

"Are…they going to be okay out there?" Yukari raised an eyebrow. "It's awfully snowy."

Mitsuru just shrugged. "Akihiko and Ken have survived countless hours in Tartarus, adventuring through pitch-black rooms and being ambushed by numerous ravenous shadows. A few minutes out in a mild blizzard doesn't seem any particular cause for concern."

"Oh, yeah." Yukari nodded. "I guess you've got a point, senpai. Okay, so…what should we do to help put Christmas together?"

Minako never heard Mitsuru's answer. She was already tugging Shinjiro into the kitchen, and whatever Mitsuru and Yukari said next was inaudible from inside the kitchen door.

"You must be freezing," she told Shinjiro, who was shivering as he wrung out his heavy coat and then draped it over the back of a chair.

"I'll be fine," he muttered. "What was it you wanted help with?"

"First," Minako insisted, "sit down, and I'll make you something warm to drink. Do you drink hot chocolate?"

Shinjiro made a face. "Too sweet," he muttered.

Minako grinned. "I thought you'd say that. How about some tea, then? Green tea? Or do you prefer black tea?"

Shinjiro seemed to think about that for a moment.

"Uh…well, if you're making it anyway," he mumbled eventually, looking a little awkward, "Green tea sounds good. Green tea's good for your heart…unlike you."

In the middle of rummaging around in the cabinet for some tea, Minako frowned and turned around. "What?"

"Heh," snorted Shinjiro, shaking his head. "Nothing. Forget about it."

While Minako brewed the tea, Shinjiro sat back in the chair and took a moment to catch his breath.

"So…let me get this straight," he said eventually, sounding dubious. "We're celebrating Christmas…in March."

"Yep," agreed Minako. "The snow storm gave us the idea. Doesn't it look like Christmas weather outside?"

"Sure," replied Shinjiro, shrugging. "I guess. Can't say I remember the last time we had snow on Christmas. Then again, I don't pay much attention. Never been much of a holiday kind of guy."

"I sort of figured that about you," returned Minako, pouring some boiling water into the teapot. "Still, I think it could be fun. I've always loved Christmas. After all, it's the happiest time of the year."

"Or something," muttered Shinjiro.

Minako grinned at him.

"Here's your tea," she said, passing him a steaming hot cup.

"Thanks," grunted Shinjiro, accepting the cup and taking a long sip, closing his eyes, and letting his shoulders sag a little bit. "Yeah…that's nice. Guess I needed that after all."

Smiling to herself, Minako poured her own cup of tea, and then sat down on the floor beside him.

"You never answered my question," he told her after taking another long moment to savor his tea. "What'd you bring me in here for?"

"Oh," replied Minako. "Well, I wanted to make some Christmas cookies for everyone, since holiday sweets are such a big part of Christmas."

"Oh…they are?" Shinjiro frowned. "Sure, if you say so."

"Anyway," continued Minako, shaking her head, "it doesn't look like I'll be able to get to the store to buy any ingredients, and I don't really know any good recipes off the top of my head. I was hoping that maybe you could help me come up with some sort of simple cookie recipe that we could use with what we already have in the cabinets."

"Huh?" Shinjiro raised an eyebrow at her over his teacup. "That's…look, I'm not a magician. I don't know if we can work with any of this shit. I'm not even sure what kind of 'sweets' you guys like. I'm not much for sweets, anyway."

"But," insisted Minako, giving him a radiant, confident smile, "you're such a wonderful cook, senpai, and you're really good at making things from scratch, and improvising…I'm sure you can come up with SOMETHING."

Shinjiro wagged an admonitory finger at her. "Flattery will get you nowhere," he said.

Minako did her best to look as innocent as she could. "Me? Flatter? Nonsense."

Shinjiro slowly started to smile.

"All right," he sad, setting his teacup down on the counter and getting to his feet. "Well, let's see what we've got to work with."

He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, watching and listening as Minako went through the cabinets and rattled off a list of ingredients.

"Well," she said, "I know we have milk, because I bought some with Yukari yesterday. Um, looks like we have two eggs, so that's good…and here's a bit of sugar. There's…maybe enough butter here to make something, although looks like someone's been into it since the last time I checked. Oh, and look!" She held up a small bottle of brown powder. "Here's some cinnamon!"

"Cool."Shinjiro nodded. "Looks like we've got the basics, at least. That's a good start."

Next to where the cinnamon had been standing on the second shelf, Minako found a small cardboard carton.

"And," she said,, "looks like there are some raisins, here."

Shinjiro made a face. "We can't use that," he told her. "Raisins are awful."

"Huh?" Minako was surprised. "But, aren't they good for you?"

"Who cares?" He shrugged. "They taste terrible. Can't stand the stuff. Put it back."

Chuckling to herself, Minako put the raisins back on the shelf. "And here I thought that you liked everything healthy," she said teasingly. "Apparently there are a few foods that even health-nut Shinjiro Aragaki won't eat."

Shinjiro scowled at her." Can you blame me? They're nasty. I'm only human, remember? Anyway…here's what we're going to do. Pay attention."

He took a quick, thoughtful look at the ingredients that Minako had set out on the table, and then nodded once.

"One cup of sugar," he began, "and half a stick of-!"

He was suddenly interrupted by a horrible crashing sound from somewhere else on the first floor.

"Eeek," squeaked a voice that sounded a lot like Fuuka's." Um…senpai, are you okay?"

Shinjiro sighed. "I'm not sure I want to know what that was all about,'" he muttered.

"Um…I'll be be right back," said Minako, hurrying out of the kitchen and in the direction of the commotion.

**A short time later, up in Aigis' bedroom…**

"This will be the first time that I have ever selected a Christmas present for someone else without any guidance," murmured Aigis, sitting on her bed and frowning down at the odd selection of odds and ends that she had laid out on the floor before her. "In past years, Mitsuru-senpai has always assisted me in choosing appropriate gifts. I am not particularly skilled at gift-giving."

"Aw, don't worry about it, Aigis," insisted Yukari, smiling. "It's the thought that counts, right? Besides, since none of us can go shopping at the moment, we're all sort of making things, or re-gifting old stuff that we haven't used in years. I don't think anybody's really going to judge you if the gift isn't perfect."

"That may be for the best," sighed Aigis. "I fear that none of these objects I have selected will make suitable gifts for treasured friends such as yourselves."

Minako shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Let's see what we've got."

Reaching down into the pile of odds and ends, she unearthed some sort of device that looked as though it might belong inside of a computer, strangely shaped and obviously technological.

"Um," she asked, "what's this?"

"It is an experimental sensor," replied Aigis, "that the scientists at the Kirijo Corporation once attempted to install into my operating system. As I understand, it is meant to help me to determine more accurately the emotional atmosphere being experienced by those around me. Although I am certainly much better at understanding feelings and the reasons behind them than I used to be, I fear that I am still what Yukari-chan might refer to as 'slightly dense.'

"Aw, you're nothing compared to Junpei," Yukari reassured her. "Don't worry, Aigis, you're plenty good at reading people."

Aigis seemed to perk up a little bit at that. "Thank you..you're very kind, as always."

"Huh," murmured Minako thoughtfully, turning the sensor over in her fingers. "You said it's experimental, right? I bet Fuuka would love this. She's always playing around with technological stuff, installing and uninstalling parts and trying to improve on old designs."

"I…have no idea what use she would find for such a thing," said Aigis doubtfully.

"Neither do I," agreed Minako, "but she's the expert. I think it'd make a great March Christmas gift, anyway."

"She'll probably love it," added Yukari, grinning. "You never know, Aigis. She might use it to build a brand new robot of her own. How would you feel about having another mechanical person around?"

Aigis narrowed her eyes and frowned. "I believe that you are joking, Yukari-chan, but with all due respect, I am a unique model. With the notable exception of my sisters, there have never been and will probably never be any mechanical maidens quite of my emotional and intellectual caliber."

"And she's modest, too," whispered Minako.

Yukari laughed.

"Is…something funny?" Aigis looked confused, and a little hurt. "I believe that my statements are entirely accurate."

"No," agreed Minako quickly, "you're absolutely right. I'm sorry, Aigis. We didn't mean to be insulting."

"You are forgiven," murmured Aigis comfortably. "Is there anything else here that you think might serve as a reasonable gift?"

This time, Yukari reached down into the pile, and pulled out a very lovely light-blue chiffon blouse.

"I think I remember you wearing this," she said. "Didn't you used to wear this all the time, back when we first met?"

Aigis nodded sadly. "Indeed. Unfortunately, it no longer fits me as well as it once did."

Yukari blinked in surprise." Really? Wait, but…you, um, haven't gained any weight, have you? I mean, I didn't think that was possible."

"Of course it's possible," retorted Aigis. "I have had several technical modifications and multiple new parts have been installed since first we met. The subsequent bulk added to my figure has rendered it impossible for me to wear that particular blouse."

"Don't worry, Aigis," Minako told her. "You still look fantastic. Most girls would kill to have a figure like yours."

Aigis smiled. "I'm afraid I can take no credit for that, but thank you. That is very reassuring. I would not care to be physically unappealing. You might decide not to like me anymore."

"What?" Yukari shook her head. "No way! A little weight gain isn't a reason to stop liking someone! Besides, some girls look better with a few more curves. Right, Minako?"

Minako nodded hurriedly. "Absolutely."

Taking the blouse out of Yukari's hands, Aigis turned it over thoughtfully in her own.

"Perhaps," she said slowly, "As this is still in quite good condition, I might give it to Mitsuru-senpai. She looks very lovely in this color, and she has admired it on more than one occasion. She certainly does not appear to have put on any weight in recent years."

"I…don't think Mitsuru-senpai ever gains weight," sighed Yukari. "She's super-human, or something."

"Super-model is more like it," added Minako.

"Right?" Yukari nodded eagerly. "I think so, too!"

"If I may ask," murmured Aigis, "what are you two giving to Mitsuru-senpai?"

Yukari threw up both hands in exasperation. "Who knows? She's the woman who has everything…and anything she doesn't have, she could pretty much buy for herself. I have no idea what to give her. Even if we did go shopping, I don't think I'd have a clue."

"Senpai and I baked all of our Christmas gifts," said Minako. "He's down in the kitchen taking them out of the oven right now, I think. Hopefully they'll come out edible."

"I mean, the others weren't so hard," Yukari went on, shaking her head. "I found some old baseball cards for Junpei in my closet. I think they used to belong to my cousin, maybe. I have a workout DVD that Akihiko-senpai might like…I tried it myself a few times, but honestly it was just a little too much for me. For Ken I actually have something great; I got an autographed Featherman poster a few years ago, when the production team came to do some filming on my college campus. I've never been a fan, but I think he is."

"He is," agreed Minako, smiling. "Even if he won't admit it."

"Oh, good," sighed Yukari. "Well, that's a relief. I mean…I think I have everybody else covered, so I should be fine, except-!'

"What," interrupted Minako, "are you giving Koromaru?"

"Huh? Oh, crap!" Both of Yukari's hands flew suddenly to her mouth. "I totally forgot about Koro-chan! What am I going to do? I mean, what kind of a last-minute Christmas present do you give a dog?"

Minako patted her comfortingly on the shoulder. "You'll think of something," she said. "Besides, Koromaru's not a picky dog. He likes pretty much anything. You could just offer to take him for a few extra walks, this week."

"Oh!" Yukari's eyes widened. "I have this really beautiful red and blue ribbon that in my bedroom! One of my birthday presents this year came tied up with it. Do you think we could find a way to make that into a fancy leash? Minako, you sew, right? Can you do something with it? Pretty please?"

"Um…" Minako frowned. "Well, okay. I guess I can try…"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Only one chapter left of our silly little Christmas story. Tomorrow, we will move on to more significant plot-intensive chapters, but this has been fun, today.

Disclaimer: I am Jewish, and I do not Christmas. I may be doing this entirely wrong.


	22. Our Love Into Words - Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **…and here we have the final chapter of this story, which I probably should have entitled "A Very ShinjixMinako Christmas," which is what this chapter really is. I just cannot seem to tear myself away from this OTP, although there are a lot more character interactions and relationships to write about in this story.

Oh well. This little three-chapter story wasn't even supposed to happen. It wasn't part of the plan. I just decided to include it when the spirit of Christmas struck. Back on track tomorrow, then.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Later that night, although the sky had gone dark, the bright white snow was still coming down in torrents. The world really had become something of a brilliant winter wonderland, and Minako had lost sight of the streets for all the blinding white that carpeted and coated everything around the dorm.

"I really have never seen anything quite like this," murmured Mitsuru appreciatively, gazing out the window at the snow as she and the others all settled in around the scrawny, scraggly little "Christmas Tree" that Akihiko and Ken had proudly erected in the center of the living room. "Even in the middle of winter, I've never seen snow quite this heavy around here. It's truly remarkable…a 'Christmas' miracle, perhaps."

The tree was decorated with strings of half-popped popcorn, courtesy of Fuuka, as well as numerous streamers and ribbons donated by Mitsuru and Yukari, probably from the depths of their closets and accessory boxes. Yukari's bow and arrow hung from one of the branches as well, as did the pair of fancy, high-tech headphones that Minako had once received as a gift from Fuuka. At the top of the tree, dull and proud was Akihiko's famous right boxing glove; the one that had won him so many competitions, and wearing which he'd never been defeated.

"Not bad," mumbled Junpei thoughtfully, nodding with approval at the tree. "We really pulled it off, after all. Actually…I think it looks pretty good."

Beside him, Minako smiled. "It's beautiful. This was a wonderful idea."

Underneath the tree, there were several unopened packages, gift bags, and hastily-half-wrapped shoeboxes. All of Yukari's presents were there, as were all the ones that Minako and Yukari had helped Aigis to pick out. Minako assumed that the many other presents all laid beneath the tree were donations by others from SEES, although she had yet to go and take closer look.

"I'm afraid," announced Mitsuru, "that I'm not much good at coming up with last minute gift ideas. Instead, I decided to have a sum of money transferred into eah of your bank accounts. You'll be able to pick out anything you'd like for yourselves as soon as the storm lets up."

"Wow, senpai." Junpei grinned. "Thanks! You really are the best senpai, even years after the end of school!"

"Mitsuru-senpai," murmured Fuuka, looking a little uncomfortable, "you really didn't have to do that. You've already done so much for us!"

Mitsuru just smiled and shook her head. "No," she insisted. "Please, it's my pleasure. I hope you buy something fun…something you'll enjoy."

"W-well," said Fuuka, "I don't exactly have presents, either, but…I did think of a little something that I might be able to do for the holidays."

She held up a very fancy looking camera, complete with an unreasonable number of dials, toggles and switches.

"This is my special camera," announced Fuuka. "I made it myself! It takes very good close-up photos, and I can print them upstairs on my computer. If you like, I could take some Christmas photos of everyone. We really don't have that many photographs of us all together, do we? There's only that one from years ago, but frankly, it isn't a very good picture, and it brings back some…unpleasant memories."

Yukari nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "I think I'd like to have some new pictures, too. Thanks, Fuuka. That's a great idea! I'll put them up on my wall in the room! Oh, but…um, maybe I should put some makeup on before we take the pictures. I still look pretty messy from helping put up the tree."

Akihiko frowned. "I don't have presents either, exactly, but I did have an idea. Uh, I was thinking, if anyone's ever up for it, I'd be happy to give you guys a few free training sessions. It's probably a good idea for us all to try and stay in shape while we're out here, and I could give you a few pointers as to what they do at the academy."

"Ooh, count me in!" Minako raised her hand. "I'm up for it!"

"I'd like to try, too," agreed Yukari. "I could use a new workout. I'm starting to get way out of shape…"

Junpei coughed, and shook his head. "Uh…sorry, senpai, but I think I'll pass. Running's never really been my thing."

Yukari rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said, "we can tell."

"What? Hey, I resent that," snapped Junpei. "I look fine. I haven't put on more than a couple of pounds since high school, seriously. How can you tell?"

Mitsuru chuckled to herself. "You're getting older, Iori," she said." By the time you're thirty, your metabolism will likely have slowed. Perhaps it would be a good idea to let Akihiko give you a few training sessions, now…or you may end up regretting it later."

"Tch," mumbled Junpei. "I'll be fine."

Akihiko seemed to have lost interest in the conversation, and was now frowning at the door to the kitchen.

"Hey," he said, "has anyone seen Shinji?"

"I'm coming," muttered Shinjiro, emerging from the kitchen carrying a heaping tray of delicious-smelling cinnamon cookies. "Relax. I wanted to make sure I had them plated right. Presentation isn't everything, but it is important."

Moving into the center of the room, he placed the cookie plate down in the middle of the table. All eyes fixed immediately on the cookies, and the members of SEES made various appreciative noises as the smell wafted around the room.

"Aw, man, those look AMAZING," sighed Junpei happily. "Damn, senpai…you're awesome!"

Shinjiro shook his head. "Don't look at me," he said. "Minako made these. I just supervised. I can't frost cookies like that. My hands shake."

"Don't sell yourself short, senpai," announced Minako, getting up and crossing over to him. "You helped a lot! These were a joint effort, everyone, so they're full of twice as much love! I hope you like them!"

"So…we can eat? Sweet!" Without waiting for further invitation, Junpei advanced on the table. The rest of the assembled SEES members quickly swarmed in to join him.

Minako spent a few moments watching the carnage as her friends grabbed and devoured the cookies, grinning and exclaiming delightedly over how delicious they were with half-finished cookies still crunching in their mouths.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shinjiro separate from the rest of the group, coughing into his sleeve as he made his way out the front door of the dormitory.

She followed him, and found him sitting alone on the front step, shielded by the overhang as the snow came pelting down all around.

"Senpai?" She sat down beside him, hugging herself to try and stay warm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," muttered Shinjiro, shaking his head. "It just looked like it was about to turn into a fight to the death in there. Did you see the way they swarmed over those cookies? You'd think they hadn't eaten in days."

Laughing a little under his breath, he produced a small plate of cookies from underneath his heavy coat.

"I saved us a couple," he informed her, setting it down in between them. "Figured you'd want to try one."

"Ooh, I do!" Delighted, Minako reached out and selected a cookie. "Have you had one yet, senpai?"

Shinjiro shook his head. "Not yet. You should go first. After all, they're your masterpiece."

"Well, I really made them for you," returned Minako. "After all, I did tell you that I wanted to make something for you to taste one of these days, didn't I? You promised me you'd like it, even if it tasted terrible, so I expect you to honor your word."

She winked at him, and for some reason, Shinjiro looked startled and turned slightly pink.

"Never had a girl make me something like this before," he muttered awkwardly. "Uh…thanks."

He picked up a cookie, then glanced down at it, frowning to himself, obviously lost in thought.

"Are you going to eat it," asked Minako, "or do you want me to feed it to you?"

She made a playful grab for the cookie, and Shinjiro snatched it away from her, eyes wide.

"Wh-what? Uh, no, you don't have to…jeez." Mumbling to himself, he took a large bit of the cookie, then spent a few moments savoring it in silence. The look on his face was totally unreadable, and Minako found herself frustrated, holding her breath and waiting for his reaction.

"Well," she asked finally, when she couldn't take the silence anymore. "How is it? Does it it taste terrible? Go on, be honest."

Swallowing, Shinjiro shook his head. "Nah," he reassured her. "It's good. A little sweeter than I usually like, but the texture's fine, and you didn't overdo it on the cinnamon. Nice job."

Minako beamed at him. "From you," she said, "that's high praise! I'm so happy!"

A bit nervously, Shinjiro grinned back at her.

Feeling warm, accomplished and cheerful inside, Minako finally took a bite of her own cookie. It really was very good, and she was pleased with her efforts, not only because Shinjiro had praised her, and was now smiling at her in a way that she'd never seen him smile at anyone else.

"Hey," he said softly, as she finished the cookie. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

Before he could finish the sentence, however, the door to the dorm swung open, and Akihiko came striding out.

"Oh," he said, frowning. "There you are. What are you guys doing out here? Everybody's about to start singing Christmas carols, or something. Actually, that's probably a good reason to stay out here. Wish I could join you, but Mitsuru's gonna notice if I'm gone too long."

Minako smiled at him. "Oh, we'll come back in soon. I wouldn't want to miss the singing."

"You're a brave woman," muttered Akihiko. "Have you ever heard Aigis sing before? She's a great fighter and a better human being than most, but she's probably the worst singer you've ever heard. I guess that's not part of her programming."

Minako wagged a finger at him. "Be nice."

"Yeah, I know." Akihiko laughed, then glanced down at the plate of cookies in between Minako and Shinjiro. "Hey, are these some of your cookies? I didn't manage to get one, before. By the time I got to the table, they were all gone. I think Junpei had five or six."

"That guy's a glutton," muttered Shinjiro. "Somebody needs to teach him some manners."

"Here, senpai." Minako held up the plate of cookies. "You can have one of ours! I hope you like it."

"I'm sure it'll be great," Akihiko assured her, popping it quickly into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded and smiled. "Yup…it's pretty damn good. I mean…you know me. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but this is a good cookie. Thanks."

Minako laughed. "That's almost exactly what Shinjiro-senpai said," she told him. "You two have a lot in common."

She turned to smile at Shinjiro, but found him scowling at the cookie in Akihiko's hand.

"Hey, senpai," called somebody from inside the dorm. "Where'd you go? Akihiko-senpai!"

Akihiko sighed.

"I'd better get back," he told them. "You two come in soon too, okay? Don't be strangers. After all, it's Christmas...uh, well, sort of."

Laughing, he turned around and went back into the dorm, leaving Minako and Shinjiro alone again on the doorstep.

"Damnit," mumbled Shinjiro darkly, glancing over his shoulder at the door swinging closed behind Akihiko's back. "You can't have it both ways, you know."

"Hmm?" Minako frowned. "Both ways? What are you talking about?"

Shinjiro nodded at the doors. "You're a piece of work. First you tell me that you…uh, that you've got feelings for me," he muttered, clearing his throat, "and then you go and start flirting with Aki like that. You can't have both. It's not right."

Minako raised an eyebrow.

"I wasn't flirting," she assured Shinjiro. "Akihiko-senpai is a friend."

"Right," muttered Shinjiro, obviously unconvinced.

"And, anyway," continued Minako, jabbing an accusatory finger at him, "YOU can't have it both ways, either. First, you tell me that we can't be together because you're a dying man, and then you get upset when I talk to other guys. Does that seem fair to you?"

Shinjiro snorted a derisive little laugh. "I'm not dead yet," he told her. "After I'm dead, you can flirt with all the guys you damn well want, but for now, I'm still alive. If you're not careful, I'm gonna show you how alive I really am."

"Hmm," murmured Minako, smiling mischievously. "I kind of like the sound of that. Maybe I don't want to be careful."

"Don't tempt me," muttered Shinjiro, reaching for her. Minako leaned eagerly forward and let Shinjiro fold her into his arms. He pulled her against his chest and kissed her, twining his fingers into her hair and dissolving the cold with the heat of his touch.

Eventually, he pulled away from her, and Minako found that she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.

"Yup," she said. "You're right. You're alive. I'm glad you finally realized it."

Shinjiro looked startled, and his eyes suddenly widened. "Wait," he asked, "was this all part of your plan? Were you trying to make me jealous?"

"No," admitted Minako, "but I'm pretty happy with the result, anyway."

"Tch," mumbled Shinjiro, shaking his head. "You're gonna drive me insane, you know that?"

"You're enjoying it," Minako accused him.

Shinjiro shrugged, his cheeks still flushed. "Sure," he admitted. "Never said I wasn't. Anyway, uh…"

Frowning, he paused, coughed a few times, and then straightened up, not quite meeting Minako's eyes.

"That thing I was gonna tell you earlier," he began again. "Look, I went to the hospital today."

Minako nodded. "I know. I was surprised that they had you working so early, but I guess shifts change sometimes."

Shinjiro shook his head. "Nah," he said, "it's not that. I wasn't working this morning. I went there to start those damn tests that Mitsuru keeps going on about. The guy from the Kirijo Corporation met me there, and they hooked me up to a bunch of machines to test my vital signs and get some readings. Can't say I enjoyed it, but I did it. I'll be back again, tomorrow, and probably every day for the rest of the week. Not sure what the schedule is after that."

Minako's hand had frozen on its way back to the plate to get another cookie. "You…you let them do the tests? You're really going through with it?"

"Don't get excited," muttered Shinjiro uncomfortably. "This doesn't mean anything. It probably won't even work. I just…uh, I wanted you to know. That's all."

He sat back, sighed, and still wouldn't look at her.

"Senpai," she whispered, not sure what else to say, overcome with emotion and a flood of that dangerous feeling of hope.

"Shinji," muttered Shinjiro. "Uh…if you don't mind, I want you to call me by my name. It was kind of nice, when you did that once before."

"Shinji," said Minako quietly.

Shinjiro looked embarrassed, but extremely pleased.

"Look," he mumbled. "There's a lot of stuff I want to ask you, and things I want to tell you, but…I can't. not right now. Not like this."

Minako nodded. "I understand."

"Do you?" He glanced over at her, frowning. "I guess maybe you do. I just…think that maybe I want to live until I get a chance to tell you that stuff, someday."

He leaned in and gave her a rough little kiss on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Minako, for what's it worth," he said.

"Merry Christmas," murmured Minako, smiling over at him, and then shivering suddenly in the cold night air as a chill shot down her spine.

"You're frozen," remarked Shinjiro. "C'mere. We shouldn't stay out too much longer."

Pulling her close again, he wrapped his coat around her. They sat for only a few moments more, enjoying each other's warmth and the beautiful snowfall, as the day that wasn't really Christmas came to a peaceful close.

Inside, someone was singing 'Jingle Bells,' in a loud, excited, and truly obnoxious voice. Minako thought it might be Junpei, and she grinned to herself, imagining him standing on the table in the center of the room and belting out wrong notes while playing the air guitar like his life depended upon it.

"We should go back," she said eventually. "Everyone's waiting."

"Yeah," agreed Shinjiro. "All right."

**Fin.**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **A Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!


	23. The Spell - Chapter One

**Author's Note: **Look! Look! I wrote some actual plot!

* * *

**Fourth Story: **

**The Spell**

"_We are waiting for the spell to end, as all spells must."_

_Angie Sage_

* * *

**Chapter One – March 23**

A couple of days after the Christmas festivities had ended, the roads were finally clear enough for everyone to start going back to work, to school, and about their business. Minako woke up that morning with a purpose in mind, showered, dressed, and grabbed a couple of leftover cookies on her way out of the front door into the rapidly melting off-white wonderland that remained in the wake of the snowstorm.

Instead of taking the bus to the mall, she walked, enjoying the crisp feeling of leftover winter in the air as she made her way through backstreets and alleys, taking all the shortcuts she remembered from her high school days.

The mall was pretty busy when she arrived, probably because most of the locals had been cooped up at home for two days straight. There was a line out the door of the pharmacy, and it looked as though people were thronging to get in to the coffee shop.

Minako threaded her way through the crowd and out into the back alley behind the mall. She was relieved to find that the faintly pulsing blue door to the Velvet Room was still visible there, and, after checking quickly over her shoulder to make sure that no one had followed or was watching, she passed through into the world of her dreams and nightmares.

The Velvet Room was exactly as it had always been. Igor was sitting in the center of the room in his blue velvet chair, behind his rich-looking blue table, watching her from the moment she entered.

"Ah," he said. "Welcome. I have been expecting you."

"You have?" Minako blinked. "Wait, why?"

Apparently, Igor didn't feel like answering that question. Instead, he glanced over his shoulder at the place whre Theodore usually stood.

Theodore, however, wasn't there. For the first time, Minako realized that the silent attendant behind Igor wasn't Theodore at all. Instead, it was a tall, statuesque woman with ash-blond curls and a slightly bored, faraway look on her face.

"You're…Margaret," said Minako. "Aren't you?"

Margaret looked up at Minako, gave her a tight little half-smile, and nodded. "Yes. I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced. My name, as you have already determined, is Margaret, and you are…Minako, yes? You are the famous guest of whom my brother is so very fond."

"Um…you mean, Theodore?" Minako took a quick look around the room, but didn't see Theodore anywhere. "Actually, where is Theodore?"

"I am afraid," intoned Igor calmly, "that that person is no longer a resident of this room. Theodore has left the Velvet Room, of his own free will."

Margaret flinched, looking momentarily frustrated.

"What?" Minako was shocked. "He…he left? But, why? Where did he go? I didn't even know that he could leave the Velvet Room on his own."

"He has chosen o separate himself from his destiny," muttered Margaret darkly. "Having cut ties both with myself and with my Master, he no longer has any obligations to this room."

Minako thought about Theodore, childlike in his innocence, delighted by everything that the real world had to offer and basically unskilled in the simplest real-world tasks.

"I don't understand," she insisted. "Why did he want to leave?"

"Theodore believes that his purpose lies elsewhere," murmured Igor. "Recent events have transpired in such a way that one might say his hand has been forced."

Margaret just shook her head. "You can't change fate," she whispered. "No matter how hard you try…some pieces of destiny's puzzle are and always will be immovable."

Minako opened her mouth to ask what the heck all of that meant, but then frowned, shook her head, and gave up on the question.

"I'm going to look for him," she said. "I'm worried about him. He doesn't know much about the human world, and he might do something stupid."

Margaret shook her head. "His sister is with him," she said.

"His…sister?" Minako thought about that for a moment. "Oh, you mean, his other sister? What was her name? Elizabeth?"

Margaret nodded. "That's correct."

"So, she's better at getting around in the real world?" Minako started to feel relieved.

Margaret snorted a derisive little laugh. "Not exactly, no."

Again, Minako's heart sank." Oh. Uh, then why…? Nope, forget it, nevermind. I'm going to look for him after all."

Shaking her head, she turned on her heel and prepared to leave the Velvet Room. Just as she was fumbling in her pocket for the key, she suddenly remembered what it was that she'd com here to ask in the first place.

"Wait," she said, turning back around to Igor and Margaret. "There's something I wanted to ask you."

Neither Igor nor Margaret said anything. Igor only raised an eyebrow in placid, polite inquiry.

"I've been having nightmares," continued Minako, shivering as she remembered the ugly cold feeling in her dreams, and the hollow, miserable look in Ryoji's eyes. "I keep waking up in the Velvet Room, but something's wrong. I feel wrong. I feel like something's coming, but I'm not sure what it is. The last time I had a dream about the Velvet Room, I saw someone. I saw…Death."

"Death," repeated Margaret thoughtfully. "How very interesting."

"Yeah," agreed Minako. "Death. He talked about, um…some 'poisonous flowers,' and how he loved me but couldn't do anything to help me. Something terrible's about to happen, I know it. I need you to tell me what's going on. I thought that when we created the Seal, this would all be over. It's not over, is it?"

"Over?" Margaret pursed her lips and shook her head.

"A good story," murmured Igor, "never truly ends. Nothing is ever really 'over.' Time stretches on and on eternally, following the path set forth by fate."

Minako did her best not to let herself get exasperated with these flowery evasions.

"Please," she begged them. "Tell me what's going on. What's happening to me?"

Igor just shook his head. "This place," he told her, "exists within the confines of your soul. Your dreams of the Velvet Room come from some deeper place within you. If you are experiencing visions of the Velvet Room on your own, without my guidance, that must mean that your soul has something to tell you. I cannot, therefore, assist you in this matter. You must search within yourself for the answers."

"No," began Minako, "please. Please, I need a little more than that. What am I supposed to do next?"

"As I have already said," repeated Igor, "it is not within my power to provide that information."

Frustrated, Minako turned to Margaret, but found that Margaret's eyes were fixed on the side of Igor's head, and that her expression was a closed one.

"Fine," muttered Minako, letting out a long, exasperated breath. "That's fine. I guess I'm on my own, this time. Forget it, just leave it to me. I can do this by myself."

Turning on her heel, she again made for the door.

"Wait," called out Margaret suddenly behind her. "If you see Theodore, then…"

She paused, and Minako glanced back at her over her shoulder.

"Tell him it is not too late to return," finished Margaret softly, looking suddenly human and very unhappy for just a split second.

Igor looked sharply at her, and Margaret's face almost instantly went blank again.

"Sure," said Minako. "I'll tell him."

Then, without another word, she left the room and returned to the busy shopping mall.

**A short time later, at the Iwatodai Memorial Hospital..**

On her way back from the mall, Minako tried to think where Theodore might have gone. He'd have to be staying somewhere, although she wasn't totally sure that an avatar of power like him would actually need to eat and sleep.

_But, why did he leave in the first place? _Minako frowned to herself. _Did he and Igor have an argument? No, that would never happen. After all, Igor is Theodore's 'Master.' Igor can do no wrong. Maybe it had something to do with Margaret? Maybe Elizabeth wanted Theodore to leave with her? What will happen to him now? Maybe he'll find somewhere to really 'experience humanity.' Maybe he'll go and get a job somewhere and become a part of the real world that fascinates him so much. He might like that. _

Inexplicably, Minako suddenly found herself imagining Theodore frying burgers behind the counter at Wuck, beaming at each and every customer and wishing them a 'very pleasant day,' telling them all to 'watch your step' on the way out.

_I guess he'll probably be okay, _she thought, smiling to herself. _Still…I want to find him. He might get lonely. He doesn't know anyone out there, other than me. _

Lost in frustrated thought, Minako took the long way back through the streets of Iwatodai. Eventually, she found herself walking right past the hospital. When she looked down at her watch, she discovered that it was only around eleven o'clock.

_Shinjiro's probably just finishing his tests, _she realized. Turning around, she headed into the hospital, and settled herself in the waiting room just off from the lobby.

After a few moments, Shinjiro came down the hallway into the waiting room. He looked exhausted, and shivered miserably to himself, pulling his coat closer over his shoulders and coughing dryly into his sleeve.

"Shinji!" Minako stood up and hurried over to meet him. "Are you done with your tests?"

Shinjiro glanced up at her in surprise. "Hey. Were you waiting for me?"

Minako nodded. "I was at the mall," she explained, "so I stopped by on the way back. I got lucky. I've only been here for a few minutes. Perfect timing!"

Shinjiro gave her a lopsided smile. "Nah," he said. "I'm the lucky one. Thanks for coming."

They started out together into the crisp March morning, and began heading back in the direction of the dorm.

"Are you feeling all right?" Minako frowned. "You don't look so good. You're shivering."

Shinjiro just shrugged. "It's nothing," he said. "I'm fine."

After walking on in silence for a few moments, he spoke up again.

"You look kinda beat up yourself," muttered Shinjiro. "What's up? You wanna talk about it?"

Minako did want to talk about it very, very much, but she still wasn't entirely sure what it was she'd say. Her head was a mess of confusing forebodings, and she wasn't certain how to put any of them into words.

_Besides, _she thought. _Shinjiro has enough to worry about, right now. I can't have him worrying about me, on top of everything else. _

"Not right now," she said.

Shinjiro just nodded. "All right."

He fell silent again, and Minako was relieved.

_Good old Shinji, _she thought, smiling to herself. _He never asks too many questions. Never underestimate the value of silence._

Unexpectedly, Shinjiro reached down and wrapped his fingers around Minako's, clasping her hand in his own.

"Shinji?" she looked up at him in surprise, and Shinjiro flushed slightly, and coughed.

"Uh," he mumbled, "is that okay?"

Minako nodded, and inched a little closer to him.

"Of course," she said. "It's fine. I like it."

Shinjiro smile broadened a little bit.

They walked the whole rest of the way to the dorm like that, hand in hand, feeling much warmer than they had before and awkwardly trying not to smile at one another.

By the time they arrived at the dorm, Minako really did feel just a little bit better.

**To be continued.**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **I have a lot more to write, but I will try to get that later this evening. I should have time, today, which is lovely.

I have a question for my beloved and brilliant readers. I would really like to include some stories in this collection that focus around an original character (Cho Yanase, for those of you that have read my work before), using her as something of a foil for Minako. I have some very elaborate ideas of how I'd like to tell the story of what happens to someone who's heart isn't strong enough to control a persona, and who struggles and falters in consequence. The story would, as always, heavily feature Dojima and Adachi as well as several other P4 characters It would be…very dark, and would fit in very well with Minako and Shinjiro's storyline in **Firebird. **

Is this something that any of you would be interested in reading? I will probably write it either way, but I will separate it from this collection if most of you feel you'd be bored by it.

Thanks for the feedback!


	24. The Spell - Chapter Two

**Author's Note: **I tried to just take a nap, but I couldn't, Being on break makes me terribly restless.

Maybe I'll go to the gym and run until I'm too tired NOT to take a nap.

First though, here's another chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Once they were back at the dorm, Minako and Shinjiro threw together a quick lunch in the kitchen and ate together in companionable quiet. Then Shinjiro headed up to his own room to lie down for a bit, and Minako made her way up to Junpei's room on the third floor.

"Junpei?" She knocked on the door a few times. "Are you in there? Listen, can I talk to you for a second? It's important."

Eventually, the music playing in Junpei's room switched off, and the door opened.

"Important, huh?" Junepi frowned. "Something going on? What's up?"

Minako was startled by how uncharacteristically miserable Junpei looked. There were huge dark circles under his eyes, and his face was blotchy and puffy in places. As Minako gazed at him in surprise, he sneezed powerfully, and just managed to throw up his arm to cover himself in time.

"Nngh, sorry," he muttered. "I feel nasty. Dunno where I picked up this cold, but it's awful. I figured I was building up immunity, working around kids all the time, but…guess immunity takes longer than I thought. Uh…you can come in, if you want, but I won't blame you if you want to keep your distance."

"Um…no, I'll come in, if that's okay." Minako bit her lip. "You should get some sleep, though. Would you like me to make you some tea?"

Junpei tried to grin at her, and just ended up sneezing a few more times.

"Nah, it's fine," he insisted, waving one hand vaguely at her and ushering her into the room. "I don't drink much tea, anyway. I know, I know…my diet's shit. Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

Minako hesitated. "Um, well, if you're really not feeling well…maybe this isn't a good time."

"Come on," insisted Junpei. "Spit it out. It sounded serious. Seriously,w hat's on your mind?"

Encouraged by Junpei's urging, Minako had a seat beside him on the bed, and haltingly began telling him about the dreams she'd been having of the Velvet Room. She told him about seeing Ryoji, and about Ryoji's cryptic warning, and she went on to describe her visit to the Velvet Room that morning, and how Theodore had mysteriously disappeared.

"Something's wrong," she finished, shaking her head. "I don't know what it is, but…Igor was right. I know, deep down, that something's terribly, terribly wrong. I can't explain exactly how I know, but…"

"Dude," mumbled Junpei, "what's to explain? You're hearing dead people's voices in your dreams. Doesn't get much more 'wrong' than that."

"Don't make fun of me," muttered Minako. "I'm being serious."

"I'm not making fun of you, man," retorted Junpei. "This sounds bad. I…ugh, 'scuse me."

Again, he sneezed tremendously, then shuddered all over. Minako passed him a large but half-empty box of tissues from behind her on the windowsill.

"Thanks," mumbled Junpei. "Anyway, uh…I dunno, this is pretty weird stuff. You told our senpai, yet?"

Minako shook her head.

"Oh, well, we should probably do that," said Junpei, shrugging. "I mean, I'm not too much for brain puzzles, but Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai are old hands at this stuff. Let's see if they've got any ideas."

Wadding up a ball of clean tissues and shoving it into his pocket, Junpei slid off the bed and made for the door. After a moment, Minako hurried to follow him out of the room.

"Hey, but, don't sweat it," said Junpei, shooting her a ghastly smile over his shoulder, his face pale and sick-looking in the industrial hallway lighting. "Whatever it is, we'll sort it out. After all, we're the mighty SEES, right? There's pretty much nothing we can't handle. We got this."

He gave her an encouraging little clap on the shoulder, then shivered and grimaced.

"This cold sucks," he added, sighing. "After this, I'm going back to bed. Maybe I'll take you up on that tea, actually. After all, tea brewed by a cute girl's gotta have some kind of healing powers, right?"

Minako managed a chuckle.

Together, they headed downstairs to the main lobby, where they found Mitsuru sitting and reading in one of the old, fraying armchairs by the door.

"Uh, hey, senpai," began Junpei. "Sorry to bug you, but…do you have a second?"

"Hmm?" Mitsuru looked up, and Minako was startled by how pale and wan she looked. Mitsuru was a beautiful woman, but the large dark circles under her eyes were making her look far older than she actually was. "What iit, Iori? Goodness..you look terrible. Perhaps you'd better be in bed."

Junpei raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no offense, senpai, but you're not looking too great yourself."

Mitsuru gave him a tired little smile. "Yes…I'm afraid that I am feeling a little bit under the weather. Spring colds are very trying, but no doubt it will pass. It seems that you and I might be sharing the same illness. I suppose that is a risk that we take, living in such close quarters and sharing meals together. We should be careful to avoid spreading the sicknes to anyone else. Arisato, you've been warned."

Unexpectedly, Mitsuru suddenly yawned, and then the yawn turned into a pathetic little cough.

"Oh dear," she sighed. "Well…what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Minako and Junpei shared a quick, worried look.

"Actually," began Minako, "it's kind of a long story."

"I'm in the middle of a long story right now," remarked Mitsuru, gesturing at the novel in her lap with one long finger. "Unfortunately, it's boring me terribly. Please, distract me. I'd be very interested in hearing a better story."

Minako shrugged, and then started telling Mitsuru everything that she'd just told Junpei; about the dreams of the Velvet Room, and the visit with Ryoji. Mitsuru listened with rapt attention, her novel soon lying forgotten on the armrest of the chair as Minako went on to tell her about the disappearance of Theodore, and about Igor's refusal to help her.

"I see," murmured Mitsuru thoughtfully, when Minako's monologue finally petered out. "Yes, that's very worrisome. What do you make of it all?"

" I have no idea," admitted Minako, frustrated and annoyed with herself for not being able to do any better than that. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew."

"No, there's nothing for you to apologize for," murmured Mitsuru, shaking her head. "I appreciate you bringing this to me. You're certainly right to be concerned. I believe that the best thing that we can do at this point is to call a meeting this evening, once everyone's back at the dorm. I think we should all be aware of what's been taking place. As a team, these developments concern all of us. I don't have any concept of how we shall attack this problem, at the moment, but perhaps discussing the situation with the others will bear some fruit. It's worth trying, at any rate."

Minako nodded, and Junpei grinned.

"A meeting on the fourth floor, huh? Wow, senpai. It's been a while since I've heard you say that. This is starting to feel just like old times…"

Minako grimaced.

"Yes," murmured Mitsuru, frowning."I'm afraid that it does…"

**Sometime later that day, in Minako's bedroom…**

After meeting with Misturu and agreeing to talk with the others later that evening, Junpei and Minako both went back to their separate rooms. Junpei still felt awful, and the chills that Minako had been experiencing for the past several days were now getting very, very bad. She shivered and shook as she crawled into bed and pulled the covers up over her head. Sleep didn't come immediately, but eventually she managed to drift off.

Minako must have slept for several hours, because when she woke up, the clock on the wall told her that it was already almost six o'clock in the evening. She found that she was sweating heavily underneath all of her covers, but that she still felt terribly cold. She had a headache and a heavy, lethargic feeling in her limbs as she forced herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom, in hopes that a quick shower might help to wake her up and make her feel a bit more alive.

After her shower, Minako dressed hurriedly and headed for the fourth floor meeting room, where she found Mitsuru sitting at the front of the room, with the rest of the former SEES members clustered around her. Just as Junpei had said before, the scene was a familiar one. Everything looked exactly the way it had years ago, when Minako and her friends had been fighting the twelve shadows and endeavoring to save the world.

_It really does feel like everything's happening all over again, _thought Minako unhappily. _This isn't the fun kind of nostalgia. Igor did say that it wasn't over…that nothing ever ends. I thought that might have been metaphorical, but it doesn't feel that way right now._

"Hi everyone," called Minako, taking a step forward. "I'm sorry that I'm late. I think I've been catching the same cold that Mitsuru and Junpei have, so I took a little nap. "

"Oh, no, it's all right," said Fuuka in an unusually small and faint little voice, even for her. "We just got here, actually. I don't think any of us are really feeling very well."

She turned around, smiled at Minako, and then sneezed. Her eyes were red, and her face was even paler than usual.

"Yeah," agreed Yukari, nodding. "I've been kinda dizzy all day. I think I'll go to bed early tonight."

Yukari looked a little better than Fuuka, but she, too, had circles under her eyes. Her cheeks were just a little bit too pink, and she was holding her left temple with two fingers as though it hurt.

Mitsuru sighed. "I think," she said, "it would be best if we made this a short meeting."

Akihiko started to cough, and Shinjiro gave him a manly, slightly-too-aggressive pat on the back.

"Ugh," muttered Akihiko miserably. "What the heck is this? I never get sick. I'm…in excellent condition."

Alarmed, Minako glanced around the table at all of her friends. With almost no exception, every one of them looked awful, and was displaying symptoms of illness.

"I hate the spring," muttered Ken resentfully, as Koromaru sneezed unhappily and then started whimpering, resting his head on Ken's lap. "I always get these spring colds. I figured maybe I'd stop getting so sick now that I'm in middle school, but I guess not."

Something in Minako's chest twisted painfully, and her heart began to beat a bit faster.

Even Aigis looked startlingly unwell. She sat huddled up in a chair, shivering a little bit and wiping at her watery eyes with the back of her hand.

"Aigis," exclaimed Minako. "I didn't even know that were able to get sick. I mean...you aren't human."

Aigis nodded. "You are correct," she murmured. "This is unprecedented. I am not enjoying it all...although I suppose, to a certain extent, we can view this as a sign of my burgeoning humanity."

"Welcome to the club, Ai-chan," muttered Junpei, not unkindly.

"I'm…really sorry," murmured Yukari suddenly, "but, honestly, guys, I don't think I can keep my eyes open. I feel like I'm gonna pass out any second. Can we maybe finish this meeting tomorrow? I just need some sleep, that's all. I'm sure I'll be a lot better in the morning."

"Nobody can think straight right now anyway," agreed Akihiko unhappily. "Sorry, Mitsuru, but I think this one's a wash. Let's try again tomorrow."

Mitsuru nodded immediately. "I agree," she said. "Let's table this discussion until tomorrow, and all go back to our rooms to get some rest for tonight."

Around the table, people began to murmur in relief.

Junpei shot a quick, uncertain look at Minako, and shrugged.

_Yeah, _thought Minako. _I guess that's fine. After all, there's no reason to believe that this is an emergency that we have to handle tonight. I don't know what we'd be able to accomplish tonight, anyway. We wouldn't even know where to start. It can probably wait until tomorrow…I hope._

"Okay, guys," announced Akihiko. "In that case, let's get out of here."

"Get good rest tonight," added Mitsuru, as people began hurriedly pushing themselves out of chairs and making for the stairwell. "I'll see you all at six o'clock tomorrow evening, back in this room. Please, take care of yourselves in the meantime."

Slowly, one by one, everyone started filing out of the room and down the stairs. Soon, only Minako, Shinjiro, Junpei and Mitsuru were left in the meeting room.

"Hey," muttered Shinjiro, frowning at Minako. "You doing all right? You look awful."

"I've got it too, whatever it is," agreed Minako, sighing. "Don't worry…I'll be okay."

Shinjiro narrowed his eyes. "Get some sleep," he ordered. "Drink something, too. Keep yourself hydrated. Might not be a bad idea to have some hot soup, either. If you want, I'll go and make you some."

"Thanks," returned Minako firmly, "but what I want is for you to go and rest."

"Tch," snorted Shinjiro. "Forget about me. I'm used to this. I'll come by your room with the soup in a few minutes. Actually, while I'm at it, might as well make enough for everybody. Looks like we could all use it."

With that, he left the room and headed down the stairs.

"He's a thoughtful guy, our senpai," announced Junpei into the uncomfortable silence.

"Yeah," agreed Minako.

She stood there for a moment and stared at the stairwell, anxious and unhappy, but bleary and foggy-headed from the illness at the same time.

Behind Minako, Mitsuru suddenly sneezed.

"Oh dear," she murmured, sounding exasperated. "Forgive me."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's Note: **I bet you'vefigured it out by now. Have you? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

il


	25. The Spell - Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **We are getting into some darker stuff, from here on out.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Minako wasn't exactly sure how long she slept for, but when she woke up, the snow outside had almost all melted away. It was starting to get warmer, and the birds had begun singing in the trees again. She still felt groggy and gross, but it felt as though her fever had broken sometime during her sleep, and her limbs no longer ached as much as they had before.

Unsteadily, she managed to get out of bed, to go into the bathroom and to wash up a bit. Then she found some clothes and hurried out into the hallway to go and check on the others.

Aigis was standing in the hallway outside Yukari's door, holding a tray of mugs.

"Aigis!" Hurrying over, Minako called out to her friend. "Good morning! Are you feeling any better?"

Aigis turned around and gave Minako a gratified smile. "I'm pleased to see that you're awake again. Thank you; I am feeling much better, although some of the symptoms persist. I believe we have both survived the illness, although it may be some days before we are fully cured."

"I'm so glad," said Minako, smiling. "You've never been sick before, right? This must have been awful for you."

Aigis just shrugged. "It was trying," she admitted, "but all experiences have their value."

Aigis turned and knocked gently on Yukari's door. After a moment, Yukari sniffled audibly on the other side, then called out.

"Who is it? I'm not dressed yet!"

"Yukari?" Minako took a step closer to the door. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, it's you, Minako? Morning!" There was a short pause, and a muffled shuffling sound. "Um, actually, I'm feeling a bunch better. Still sniffly and…ahh." Suddenly, Yukari sneezed. "Um, sorry," she finished. "I'm mostly better, anyway. How are you?"

"We are recovering as well," replied Aigis. "I have brought you a cup of tea. Shinjiro-san has prepared some toast in the kitchen. He says that it is best we 'suffer through some bland food' until we are sure that we have overcome the major part of our illness."

"Aw, that's nice of you both," said Yukari. "I don't think I realized how hungry I was until you said that. You sure we have to stick to toast? Well…I guess maybe that's for the best. Thanks, Aigis. I'll get cleaned up and meet you downstairs in a few minutes, okay?"

Aigis deposited the tray gently on the floor next to Yukari's door, then selected a cup of tea from the tray and passed it to Minako.

"Everyone else is already downstairs," she said. "It appears that we were all fortunate enough to live through the night. Shall we join them?"

Minako and Aigis went downstairs together, and found everyone except Yukari sitting around in the living room, as usual.

"Minako-chan! Aigis!" Fuuka looked incredibly relieved as soon as she saw them. "We were all so worried! Wait, where's Yukari?"

"Yukari-san is still in her room," reported Aigis. "Her condition is much improved, and she will join us momentarily."

Mitsuru nodded, smiling a little to herself. "Wonderful. That was unpleasant, but it looks as though the worst, at least, is over. I suppose that it's not unusual for an entire group of people living in the same close quarters to contract the same illness.

Ken shrugged. "It happens all the time in the middle school dorms," he said. "People need to cover their mouths when they cough. Kids can be pretty gross."

"Uh," muttered Junpei. "Yeah, uh…hang on, I…ah-CHOO!"

Before he'd finished his sentence, he let out an epic sneeze without bothering to cover his nose and mouth.

"Ugh, Junpei-san." Ken gave Junpei a disgusted look.

Junpei laughed a little awkwardly. "Whoa, sorry, Ken. I guess it'll be a couple of days before we're done sneezing and coughing up a storm."

"Hey," called Shinjiro from the kitchen. "Breakfast's ready. Everybod, sit down and eat. You need to keep up your strength. No skipping meals, today – not even you, Aki."

From across the room, Akihiko rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah," he said. "I know."

Shinjiro brought out a large plate heaping with thick slices of toasted bread. There were butter and margarine on the tray as well in little cups, as well as cinnamon and sugar.

"Ooh, I'm making cinnamon toast," declared Minako, reaching for a slab of bread and the little cup of cinnamon. "How about you, Ken? Do you want the cinnamon next?"

Ken made a face. "Uh…isn't that a little too sweet?"

Shinjiro gave him a lopsided grin. "Shut up. Everybody knows you love the stuff. Go on; no one's gonna judge you."

Minako shot Shinjiro a quick wink, and Shinjiro's grin broadened.

"Eat up," he said to the room at large, before taking his now empty tray and retreating back into the kitchen.

"Hey," called Akihiko. "What, we all have to eat, and you don't? No way, Shinji. Get back here and have some toast."

Grumbling to himself, Shinjiro did return from the kitchen, and eventually Yukari came down the stairs to join them as well. They all sat around the table for quite some time, enjoying each other's company, and ignoring the occasional shiver, cough, or sniffle. Outside, the sun was shining bright, and even if Minako's insides didn't feel exactly perfect, she was certainly having a better time this morning than she had the night before.

Just as Minako was picking up her third piece of toast, however, and eyeing the cinnamon sugar again, there was a loud banging on the front door.

"What the…?" Junpei turned and stared wide-eyed at the door. "Who's that?"

"As far as I'm aware," murmured Mitsuru, "no one knows that we're here, other than my representative and the Kirijo doctors. They wouldn't knock. They'd telephone first."

Yukari shrugged. "We haven't exactly been keeping it a secret," she reminded them. "I mean, people have to have seen us going in and out. Maybe it's just a curious neighbor."

"Or maybe," mumbled Ken unhappily, "it's the police. We aren't exactly supposed to be here. This dorm is supposed to be abandoned, isn't it?"

"Doubt the police would waste their time with something like that," said Akihiko, shrugging. "Besides, Mitsuru's got connections. I'm sure she's already worked all of that out."

Springing to her feet, Minako reluctantly pushed her toast away. "I'll go see who it is," she announced. Stepping around the table, she strode over to the door and pulled it open.

"Good morning," said Theodore, bowing slightly and giving her a tired but polite sort of smile. "It's a pleasure to see you again. I hope I'm not intruding."

Minako stared at him for a moment in shock." Theo?"

Theodore nodded. "I understand that you have been looking for me. I apologize for my sudden disappearance. I did, of course, have my reasons. I've every intention of explaining my actions, but if you'll permit, might we come inside? I'm our Velvet Room garments fit in rather poorly with the local streetwwear. We've been attracting a great deal of uncomfortable attention."

"We?" Minako blinked, then looked past Theodore at the blond young woman standing a few feet behind him. "Oh, Elizabeth! You're here, too?"

Elizabeth smiled, but it was a tight, small, unfriendly smile. She gazed at Minako with resentful eyes, and muttered, "Yes…where my little brother goes, I go, naturally."

"Oh, um…of course." Minako stepped aside and ushered Theodore and Elizabeth into the dorm. "Please, come in. I'm so glad to see you….I was really worried."

Theodore carefully wiped his feet on the front mat, then smiled gently around at the assembled gawking members of SEES.

"I'm pleased to see you all healthy and well," he announced. "I imagine that you have recently been through a very trying time."

"Huh?" Junpei stared. "Well…yeah. Uh, thanks, I guess."

"Wait." Minako turned on Theodore, as Elizabeth hovered over by the wall, detaching herself from the others. "Theo, how did you know that we were all sick?"

For just a moment, something dimmed in Theodore's eyes, and he shot a quick look over his shoulder at Elizabeth. She sighed and shrugged.

"I am afraid," said Theodore quietly, "that the answer to that question is a rather long one. I should like to speak to you; to explain the reason for my departure, and to answer any questions that you might have. As a matter of fact, it's quite convenient that you're all assembled. It would be best, I think, for all parts of the New Seal to hear what I have to say."

Frowning, Mitsuru turned to Aigis.

"Aigis," she said. "If you'd please go and find a chair for Mr. Theodore."

"Understood," murmured Aigis, getting up from her seat.

Once everyone was seated again, Theodore gazed sadly around at them all from the head of the table.

"My," he murmured. "I thought I had prepared myself for this conversation, and yet somehow I find it difficult to begin."

Again, he looked at Elizabeth, who was no longer paying any attention to him, but was instead watching Aigis with a strange, faraway sort of look on her face that Minako couldn't quite place.

"Ah, well, "began Theodore, sighing a little bit to himself. "As I'm sure you'll all remember, we met most recently in the Velvet Room, when my Master summoned you all there to put before you a test of wills. It was our intention to test the strength of your bonds; to determine if those bonds were indeed strong enough to support the existence of the Great Seal, which, until recently, was maintained entirely by the efforts of our most successful and valued guest."

He cast a quick, affectionate smile at Minako, and gave her a respectful little nod. Hesitantly, Minako smiled back at him, while out of the corner of her eye she saw Shinjiro suddenly narrow his eyes and stir restlessly in his chair.

"For the purposes of time," continued Theodore, "Forgive me if I abbreviate the recollection of that long and harrowing tale. In the end, my Master determined that your bonds were certainly strong enough, and so each of you accepted the burden of the Seal. Subsequently, I took the liberty of fusing your souls together in such a way that your combined souls and the bonds forged between you all are now serving to project the New Seal, allowing each of you to retain your humanity. As I said at the time, and as I assure you that I intended no willful dishonesty, your shared efforts meant that none of you, including our honored guest, would have to die to uphold the Seal."

Again, something in Theodore's face flickered, and this time Minako was certain that she saw it. Something awful and foreboding re-emerged inside her, twisting painfully at her heartstrings and filling her with dread.

"Theo," she asked, "what is it? What are you trying to say?"

Theodore opened his mouth to reply, then apparently thought better of it and shut it again.

"Brother," murmured Elizabeth, "it is not your fault. You could not have known."

Theodore just shook his head miserably. "I…fear that isn't precisely true," he murmured dejectedly. "Please, forgive me, all of you. I…I seem to have made a terrible error. I had no idea, of course, that I was condemning you all to such a fate. It did not even occur to me that one of you might…but, no, I can make no excuses. If I had been more careful, if I had taken the proper precautions prior to the fusion, certainly this would never have happened."

He shot a quick, terribly apologetic look at Minako.

"I was so eager to see you again," he murmured, "that I have been inexcusably careless. I am ashamed to admit my fault, but as things stand, I have no choice. You have the right to know…all of you. I fear it must mean that you will come to hate me, and although that is the last thing that I ever wanted, I have decided to accept it as part of the fate that I've brought upon myself."

"Theo," began Minako. "I could never hate you, but…"

"Get to the point, already," shouted Junpei, slamming one fist down on the table for emphasis. "What the hell did you do to us?"

Theodore hesitated, and with a sigh, Elizabeth broke in.

"It's very simple, really," she announced, coming out of her corner to join them at the table. "There is one among you with a poisoned soul. Isn't that right?"

Slowly, one by one, everyone turned to look at Shinjiro. Shinjiro scowled, and shrank back a little bit in his chair.

"Yeah," he snarled. "What about it?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Well," she said. "I should think that would be obvious. You certainly should have said something to us in the Velvet Room, when you had the opportunity. As it stands now, your souls have all been irrevocably fused. What one soul suffers, all souls suffer. No doubt by now, the poison had spread sufficiently to be affecting the soul of every person in this room. I can see that you've already begun to feel the effects."

"H-huh?" Junpei gaped. "What the…? What are you saying?"

"Oh," whispered Fuuka, wide eyed. "No…it can't be."

Koromaru, curled up under Akihiko's chair, barked unhappily, and then sneezed several times.

"I'm so terribly sorry," murmured Theodore, looking helpless and miserable. "I'm afraid that there is nothing, now, that can possibly be done. Of course, you will be very angry. I-!"

"Wait, hang on a second!" Yukari suddenly stood up from her chair. "Are you…are you saying that we're going to die? We're all going to die?"

"All humans die in time," murmured Elizabeth halfheartedly. "Nothing has truly changed. The process has simply been…slightly accelerated."

"Holy crap," muttered Ken.

Minako herself couldn't think of anything to say. She sat there stunned, shocked and trying to let everything that Theodore had said sink in. All of the horrible forebodings she'd had, and the uncertain, uncomfortable things her body had been trying to tell her all suddenly made terrible, sickening sense.

"No," she whispered. "No, this isn't how it was supposed to be. This is all wrong!"

No one seemed to be paying her any attention.

"Hey," muttered Shinjiro hoarsely. "How long?"

"Ah…how long do you have to live?" Theodore just shook his head. "I…I'm afraid that I don't know. I suppose that depends on the strength of your souls."

"Human souls," mumbled Elizabeth sadly, "really are such fragile things…"

She gave Minako a look that for the first time wasn't resentful. Instead, there was now a hint of pity in Elizabeth's eyes.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **I will try to update again later today.


	26. The Spell - Chapter Four

**Author's Note: **I'm finding this chapter a little hard to write, but I'm forcing myself through it. For some reason, this one is killing me. Maybe it's all the exposition...

* * *

**Chapter Four**

As everyone sat around the table, staring at Theodore in stunned, horrified silence, Minako could feel the hot tears welling up at the back of her eyes, and the anger beginning to burn in her chest.

"Why," she whispered.

Theodore raised an eyebrow and turned to face her. "I beg your pardon?"

"I asked you," repeated Minako a bit louder, doing her best to control her voice and not to let it shake with the sick sort of rage that she was starting to feel, "why? Why did you do it? Why couldn't you just have left us all alone? Everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be."

_Well, no, not exactly, _she thought, even before she'd finished saying the words. _Not everything was so perfect. After all, when I left, everyone was supposed to be happy. They were supposed to go on with their lives and be fulfilled and successful, but…they weren't happy, were they? After I left, everything ended up going so wrong. Still…now it's even worse. Now we'll never have a chance to set things right. Maybe if things had stayed the way they were, eventually, Shinjiro would have come around and decided to go through with the tests. Junpei would have fallen in love with someone new, and he would have started to heal. Now, it's all over. None of them will ever have a chance to be happy again. It was all for nothing, after all…_

" I was supposed to be the sacrifice," she went on, her eyes blazing. "I made that decision 'of my own free will,' didn't I? I knew what I was doing. You didn't need to interfere! I never asked to be rescued! I never wanted any of this!"

"Hey," began Junpei warningly. "Mina-tan…"

Minako, however, wasn't listening. She kept her eyes fixed on Theodore, daring him to answer the question.

Unexpectedly, Elizabeth let out a derisive, high-pitched little laugh.

"Really," she said. "This is what you wanted? You wanted to die? I thought that death was the one thing that all human beings fear most."

"I…no, I never wanted to die," insisted Minako, faltering for a moment, but refusing to let herself be thrown off. "It wasn't like that, it's just…the way things turned out, when I ended up in the Seal; that was the way things were supposed to be. That was the right way."

"Don't presume that you know the 'right way' of things," retorted Elizabeth calmly. "You have no way of knowing what the path of fate might have in store for you."

"Elizabeth," murmured Theodore, shooting Elizabeth a quick glance.

Elizabeth looked momentarily offended, but then sighed, shook her head, and crossed her arms over her chest, watching him expectantly.

"Minako," continued Theodore, giving her his full attention once again, "the choice was never mine to make. As a resident of the Velvet Room, my purpose...no, my duty is to obey the commands of my Master, the Master of the Velvet Room. I do as I am instructed. That is how it has always been, and how it will continue to be with all future Velvet Room attendants. My departure from the Velvet Room comes as a consequence of this episode. Having brought such tragedy upon you all, and particularly upon you, whom I've grown to care so deeply about, I no longer find myself either able or willing to follow orders. I am an entity without a purpose…perhaps without a destiny."

He took a deep, steadying breath, looking frustrated and slightly lost.

"Brother," murmured Elizabeth, far more gently than she'd spoken before.

"Then," interrupted Mitsuru, "this 'trial' we have been forced to face…this was thought up by your Master? This man 'Igor' is responsible?"

Theodore only shook his head. "No," he said. "I'm afraid that even my Master has no control over your fates. He, in turn, takes his orders from a higher Master...a Master who neither Elizabeth nor I have ever seen."

"A 'higher master?" Fuuka frowned. "So…who is this person?"

"Yeah," agreed Junpei. "What the hell does he want with us? Why does he keep screwing up our lives, huh?"

"It's…not that simple, precisely," sighed Theodore. He and Elizabeth exchanged another quick look. "I'm afraid," he went on after a moment, "that if you want me to explain, I must tell you another rather long story."

"None of us are going anywhere," muttered Akihiko. "That is, unless you think we don't have enough time left."

"Senpai," gasped Yukari, sounding shocked. "Don't…don't say stuff like that!"

"Sorry," mumbled Akihiko. "Anyway…let's hear this 'story.'"

Nodding, Theodore got to his feet and snapped his fingers. The image of a tall, fine-featured man wearing a beautiful butterfly half-mask swam into view above Theodore's head, apparently out of thin air.

"But," said Ken, "uh, I thought you said you left the Velvet Room."

Theodore snorted a little laugh, and straightened his shoulders a bit. "Though I may no longer be a resident of that place," he replied haughtily, "I am still, now and forever, an Avatar of Power. My powers remain functional, no matter where I may choose to go."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, and gave Theodore an unimpressed sort of look.

"Since the beginning of time," began Theodore, "there have been two great entities…two deities. You might prefer to refer to them as 'gods.' The first, known to us only as 'Philemon,' is a friend to humankind, and has always stood by their sides and resided in their hearts in times of need. Philemon is the entity from whom my Master takes his orders. He is the creator of the Velvet Room, and the overseer of the human psyche."

Again, Theodore snapped his fingers, and the image of the man in the mask suddenly dissolved into thousands of shimmering little blue butterflies, which darted every which way and then vanished into thin air.

"But…wait, that doesn't make sense," began Yukari." If this guy is on our side, then why is he doing these horrible things? He sure doesn't seem like any kind of 'friend' that I'd ever want!"

Theodore gently shook his head. "Please," he murmured, "if you'd want until I've finished. I did say that it was a long story."

Again, he snapped his fingers, and this time the image that appeared above his head was that of a terrible, faceless, demon-like creature with huge red and black wings.

"The other great deity, or 'god,'" continued Theodore inexorably, "is known as Nyarlathotep. As you no doubt have already determined, he is an enemy to mankind, and would like nothing better than to see the human world decay, disintegrate, and ultimately to destroy itself out of greed, malice, and sin. Since the beginning of time, he has repeatedly challenged Philemon to a competition, or rather, to participate with him in an experiment on the human world. Time and time again, they have argued and competed to see whether the human race will triumph, or if it will fall. Philemon first created the Velvet Room and its inhabitants in order to provide the human race with certain benefits, since he himself has refused to interfere personally with humankind. Nyarlathotep is not so egalitarian. While Philemon sits back and allows humankind to prove on their own merits that they are worthy of his confidence, Nyarlathotep repeatedly interferes. It is he who first created the shadows, and who summons the demons within your souls and brings them out into the light where you are encouraged to defeat and destroy yourselves through both outward battles and internal conflicts."

This time, when Theodore snapped his fingers, the image of the creature called 'Nyarlathotep' dissolved into a collection of malevolent-looking black butterflies, all of which vanished, as before.

"I…I don't understand," said Mitsuru into the ensuing silence. "What exactly does all of this have to do with our fight?"

"You," replied Theodore quietly, "have been lucky enough to be chosen as the representatives of mankind. Your powers were provided by Philemon, with the hopes that you could prove the human race to be capable of enlightenment. I have no doubt that the recent opportunity you were provided to save your friend and to re-form the Seal came forth from this same conflict between the two warring deities." Sighing, he shook his head. "As it stands now, due to my carelessness, it is still unclear which side has prevailed in this instance."

Apparently finished with his narrative, Theodore fell silent again.

"Then…that's all it ever was?" Yukari was staring to look as furious as Minako felt. "All this time, everything we've done…we've just been pawns in someone's stupid game?"

"Shit," hissed Junpei. "That's…that's friggin unbelievable."

"I'm afraid it's entirely true," said Theodore quietly.

"It's been said before," murmured Mitsuru, "that we are all nothing but playthings in the hands of the gods. I…suppose I never took it quite as literally as I do at this moment."

Akihiko clenched both fists at his sides. "Well," he muttered, "I guess it's simple, then, just like you said. If we want out of this mess, all we've gotta do is track down this demon guy and force him to let us out of his game. Maybe it won't be easy, but we've never backed down from a tough fight before. I don't intend to start now."

Elizabeth just shook her head. "It's not just hard," she informed Akihiko. "It's impossible. You can't fight Nyarlathotep. He exists within you…within your consciousness and within your hearts. He's more powerful than you can ever imagine, and he can't be defeated. You shouldn't waste time on that idea."

"But, then," begged Minako, "what are we supposed to do?"

"This can't be the end," mumbled Fuuka. "We've come so far…it can't end like this!"

She turned beseeching eyes on Theodore, but he only gave her a sad little smile and looked away.

"I'm afraid there's nothing else I can do for you," he said apologetically. "As I said before, I am…terribly sorry. I wish that it had turned out some other way."

"Theo," interrupted Elizabeth. "We can't do any more good here. It's time for us to leave."

Without waiting for him to respond, she turned on her heel and headed for the front door. On the threshold she turned back and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Come along, little brother," she ordered.

Theodore cast one last, miserable look at Minako, who found that she couldn't quite meet his eyes.

"I'm…so very sorry," he whispered, leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the top of the head. Then, shaking his head and mumbling something to himself under his breath, he followed Elizabeth out into the street, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"I just don't believe it," muttered Ken eventually into the heavy atmosphere of the living room. "I mean…how am I supposed to believe something like that? Are we…really all going to die?"

"There must be something we can do," insisted Akihiko. "I just…I don't know what it is, damnit. I dunno what to do next. I feel like I'm paralyzed."

"We have faced the end before," remarked Aigis thoughtfully, "but…it was not like this. Once, we were determined to save the world. There was a purpose to our suffering. Now…the end comes quietly, without meaning. It is a strange and terrible feeling. I am unable to think of any way to assist you all. I feel...strange."

For several long moments after that, no one said a word. The silence was heavy and strange, as though time had been suspended It felt like everyone in the room was just waiting, waiting for something to happen to and to break them out of the numbing stupor that had descended upon the room.

The images of blue and black butterflies were now dancing around behind Minako's eyes. She buried her face in her hands and wracked her brains, trying to think of something helpful or encouraging to say; some way that she could pull them all out of this.

_As the leader, it's my job to fix this, _she thought. _It's all my fault that we're in this mess. If I'd never left the Seal, if they'd never come in after me then none of this would ever have happened. I want to do something, but Akihiko's right. I'm paralyzed. I''m panicking. I don't know what I'm supposed to do, now. I'm useless like this…_

"Hey," announced Junpei suddenly. "What the hell are you all freaking out about?"

Startled, Minako turned around to find that Junpei had gotten up from his chair and was now glaring around the rest of the SEES members.

"You guys can't seriously say you're surprised, right?" He shrugged angrily. "Look, we all knew what we were getting into. We knew this was gonna end badly, right from the start. Mitsuru-senpai, you've been saying this whole time that something didn't feel right. None of us can pretend that we didn't sort of know that the shit was about to hit the fan. We knew, but we did it anyway."

"I…" Mitsuru's eyes had gone wide. "I suppose that is true, yes, but-!"

"But nothing," snapped Junpei impatiently. "We knew that we might not come out of that place alive, but we did it anyway, because it was gonna be worth it. I don't know about you, but I don't regret a damn thing. I was getting sick of sitting around and wishing I could go back, wishing I'd figured out what was really important before it was too fucking late."

"Junpei," whispered Yukari. "You're…you really have changed."

"Huh?" Junpei blinked at her. "Yeah, well, maybe. Anyway…maybe this is the way things should have turned out in the first place. Surviving and being the conquering hero's not worth much if you have to leave your buds behind. At least now we're back in this together…the way we said we were going to be from the start. Nobody left behind on the battlefield, or something like that."

"Heh," muttered Akihiko. "That is one way of looking at it. You've got a point, there, Junpei."

Crossing over to Minako, Junpei grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around to face him.

"Right now," he said, "we should focus on living, right? You were spot-on before, when you said that we gotta enjoy what we have now, and not give up on everything just because it's going to end someday. It's not over yet, right?"

Spinning back around to face the others, Junpei suddenly realized that everyone was staring at him with their mouths slightly open in amazement.

"Uh," he said, reaching up and scratching awkwardly at the back of his neck, "I…a-anyway, I'm out. I'm going back to up to my room."

Obviously a little uncomfortable, but doing his best to retain the dignity of his speech, Junpei started back towards the stairwell.

"Wow," managed Yukari. "That was…I mean, I didn't think we'd get that from him, of all people. I figured he'd be terrified, whining about how he's too young to die, or something like that."

"I think that Junpei-kun was really affected by Minako-chan's absence," mused Fuuka. "I think he is afraid, but…I'm sure he really meant it when he said that it was better this way. He said something like that before, didn't he? When you were in the Velvet Room together?"

"Yeah," replied Yukari. "Now that you mention it, Fuuka, I-!"

"Hey," interrupted Akihiko suddenly. "Where'd Shinji go?"

Minako glanced over in surprise at Shinjiro's seat, and saw that it was empty.

"I…didn't see him leave," replied Mitsuru. "He was certainly here a few moments ago."

"Shinjiro-san has returned to his room, I believe," remarked Aigis. "He left a few minutes ago, while Junpei-san was making his inspirational speech."

Alarm bells began ringing like crazy in Minako's head.

"Shit," hissed Akihiko, getting quickly to his feet and rushing towards the stairwell. "Why the hell didn't anybody say anything?"

"Senpai?" Yukari looked confused, but Minako thought she understood what Akihiko was so worried about. Pushing back her chair, she hurried to join him, and they both ran full-tilt up the stairs towards the second floor.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Yes, I am aware that persona users in the past have actually fought and defeated Nyarlathotep. For our purposes, that is no longer possible. Perhaps he just doesn't do that sort of thing anymore. Those were the days of his youth…or something.


	27. The Spell - Chapter Five

**Author's Note: **Uh oh, head's up! This chapter needs a **TRIGGER WARNING** for self-destructive behavior and self-inflicted violence! You have been warned!

* * *

**Chapter Five**

When they got to Shinjiro's room, Akihiko didn't wait for an invitation. He shoved his way unceremoniously inside, and Minako hurried to follow suit.

Shinjiro was there, standing in the center of the room beneath the one window. His coat was lying in a heap on the floor beside him, and he was shivering horribly, holding his evoker to his head and gritting his teeth.

"Your persona...?" Minako blinked in surprise. "But, why?"

Akihiko shook his head violently. "No way," he shouted. "That's not an evoker! Shinji, stop!"

The next few moments happened in a blur. Shinjiro's finger started to come down on the trigger of the weapon, and in the same second Akihiko launched himself at Shinjiro and punched him directly in the lower jaw. Shinjro cried out in pain and dropped the weapon, which clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"Are you out of your mind?" Akihiko took a step back, panting and shaking his head. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Minako reached down and collected the weapon, then stood and stared at it for a moment in genuine shock.

Akihiko was right. It wasn't an evoker. It was a gun.

"It's mine," Akihiko told her. "Standard issue from the academy. I never use it, so I keep it locked up in here all the time. Don't ask me how Shinji got it. I guess all those years of stealing out of locked medicine cabinets has taught him a few things."

He glared at Shinjiro, who glared defiantly back at him out of slightly crazed, bloodshot eyes.

"Leave me alone," muttered Shinjiro. "You should have let me do it. Didn't you hear what that Theodore guy said? This is all my fault. I poisoned myself…and then I shared it with all of you."

He spat out the word 'shared' like it tasted bitter in his mouth.

"So?" Akihiko just shook his head. "You're gonna kill yourself? Is that supposed to be some kind of punishment? What the hell good's that gonna do?"

"Our souls are connected," grunted Shinjiro. "I have to separate my soul from the rest of yours, before it's too late."

_It's already too late, _thought Minako. _Shinji, it doesn't work that way. What do you think will happen to the rest of us if you die? We'll all feel it. We're connected now, irrevocably and forever. We're a part of each other. You can't cut yourself off from that. Besides…_

"Damnit," whispered Akihiko. "You really are determined to make me watch you die, aren't you?"

"You can turn the other way," snapped Shinjiro. "No one's forcing you to watch."

"Shut up!" Again, Akihiko raised his fist as though he was going to punch Shinjiro in the face. This time, Minako grabbed on to his arm and held him fast.

"Senpai," she said warningly. "Don't."

"I…" Akihiko glanced at her, then back at Shinjiro. His shoulders slumped suddenly, and he let out a long, frustrated breath that came out sounding sort of like a sob. "Goddamnit. I've been watching you die for years."

"You should have left as soon as you figured out I was a lost cause," returned Shinjiro stubbornly. "It was obvious a long time ago that you weren't gonna get anything else out of me."

"I don't want shit from you," snapped Akihiko. "I just want you to live! I just…"

Unexpectedly, Akihiko suddenly crumpled onto the bed, burying his face in his hands as his shoulders shook. Minako had never seen him so dejected before, and her heart ached for him.

"Wha-? Hey, Aki." Shinjiro looked mortified, and completely stunned. "Why are you...? H-hey, don't cry!"

"Hah," snorted Akihiko, somehow managing a laugh and a sob at the same time. "Why not? I'm a human being, aren't I? You still don't get it…"

For a moment, Akihiko sat there, breathing hard and trying to master his sobs. Shinjiro just stood by in awkward horror, and Minako's heart twisted painfully in her chest. She wanted to reach out to him, but found herself rooted to the spot by the look on Shinjiro's face.

Slowly, extremely hesitantly, Shinjiro finally lifted one large hand and placed it on Akihiko's shoulder.

"Hey," he mumbled. "Aki."

"All I have ever wanted," managed Akihiko hoarsely, "is for you to live. I've spent my whole life trying to protect the things that are important, but you keep pushing back. How do you think it's supposed to make me feel? I'm sick of your defeatist attitude. I've never, ever given up on you, and the gods know you've given me enough reasons. Why the hell do you keep giving up on yourself? Why are you giving up on me?"

Shinjiro just stared with his mouth slightly open, as though he had nothing worthwhile to say in response.

Eventually, Akihiko managed to get control of himself again. Taking a deep breath, he retrieved the gun from Minako and held it out to Shinjiro. Shinjiro just looked at it, but didn't take it.

"Anyway," muttered Akihiko. "It's your life. You do what you want. Just know that whatever you decide to do, I'm gonna follow you. If you decide to take your life today, that's gonna be the end for me, too. I'm sick of fighting you. You want to give up? Fine. I'll give up right along with you."

With that, he turned on his heel and started for the door.

"You know," he said over his shoulder, not turning around to meet Shinjiro's eyes, "maybe Junpei's right. Maybe now that we're all gonna die, this really is the way that it's supposed to be. After all, we've shared everything, haven't we, Shinji? Ever since the orphanage, it's been you and me. We've shared most of our lives. It only makes sense that we should share the same fate, at the end. I'm okay with that, I guess. I don't have any regrets."

Akihiko dumped the gun down onto the desk.

"Uh," mumbled Shinjiro, but Akihiko wasn't listening.

"Guess I'll see you when I see you," said Akihiko, before opening the door and striding out into the hallway, still without looking back even once.

For a long time, Minako and Shinjiro stood alone in the room. Now, Shinjiro was shaking a bit as well.

"Here," he muttered, suddenly snatching up the gun and thrusting it at Minako. "Take it."

Minako accepted the gun without a word.

"I…guess I want to be alone for a bit," said Shinjiro, turning away from her. "Don't worry…I'll see you later. Sorry."

Minako had no choice but to leave the room with the gun still in her hand. As she went, she shut the door carefully behind her.

Her heart hurt, and her mind had gone blank. For a while, she just stood at the top of the stairs and stared at nothing, unable to move or to figure out what she was supposed to do next.

When Minako did eventually make it back down into the living room, everyone else was already gone.

_They must have gone back to their own rooms, _she thought. _I wonder if they heard what happened with Shinji? _

Instead of returning to her own room, Minako sat in the biggest armchair by the door, nibbled on a leftover piece of toast and watched the last dregs of the snow melting on the sidewalk outside. On the wall beside her, the minutes ticked endlessly by on the clock, until she'd completely lost track of time…

**Some short time later…**

She must have dozed off for a few minutes, because when she opened her eyes again, she was standing, as she had so many times recently, in the center of the Velvet Room. This time, she could see Igor very plainly, seated behind his blue table, with Margaret standing, statuesque, at his side.

They were not, however, the only people in the room. Someone was over in front of Igor's chair, speaking to him in a low, unhurried voice.

Minako could only see the back of the person's head, but as far as she could tell it was a boy pretty close to her own age. He was slim, with silver-gray hair, and for a moment, Minako got the strange and inexplicable feeling that she'd seen him somewhere before.

"Hmm," murmured Margaret, glancing up and catching sight of Minako. "Master…we have another guest."

"Oh?" Frowning, Igor looked up as well, caught Minako's eye, and then looked genuinely surprised. Slowly, he began to smile.

"My, my,' he murmured. "How unusual…"

"Huh?" The silver-haired boy turned around to stare at Minako as well. As it turned out, he had deep, intelligent grey eyes that gazed curiously at Minako, again giving the strong sensation that she'd seen him somewhere before.

"Hello," managed Minako. "I…wait, do I know you?"

The silver-haired boy shook his head. "I don't think so," he told her, "but…it's kind of weird, actually. You seem sort of familiar. Do you live here?"

"Me? No, I'm…I'm human," replied Minako quickly.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you doing inside my head?"

"Your head?" Minako frowned. "No, this is my place. I mean…" She paused, then turned to Igor. "What's going on, here?"

Igor only continued to smile, and gently shrugged his shoulders. "I confess, I have no idea. This kind of a meeting is so far unprecedented in the history of the Velvet Room. For two wild cards to meet like this…there must be a reason for it. In some way that I cannot at the moment see, your souls are destined to be connected."

"Connected?" The boy was now frowning thoughtfully at Minako. "Are you a persona user too?"

"Yes," agreed Minako. "And…you're a wild card, aren't you? You can use multiple personas, just like me."

"That's right," replied the boy, nodding. "I thought I was the only one."

"We're not," Minako informed him. "I have a friend, Aigis…she's a wild card as well, and..." Trailing off, she sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I think something must have gone wrong. I didn't mean to intrude on your mind like this."

"It's okay," insisted the boy. Stepping forward, he held out a hand to her. "My name's Yu Narukami."

"Pleased to meet you, "murmured Minako, reaching out to shake his hand. "I'm Minako. Minako Arisato."

For some reason, Yu started to smile as he released her hand.

"You've got a good grip," he said. "My uncle always tells me that you can judge a person by their handshake. It's supposed to be firm."

Minako grinned back at him. "Oh, well," she said, winking at him. "Thanks. I work out."

Yu laughed. Then, suddenly, the expression on his face darkened, and the smile faded from his face.

"Wait," he said. "You're…you look sick. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm all right," whispered Minako, doing her best to keep smiling. "Don't worry. I'll be fine!"

Abruptly, the world around Minako began to swim and fade away, and she realized that she was starting to wake up from her Velvet dream.

"Wait," called Yu. "Come back!"

"I'm sorry," called Minako. "It was nice meeting you."

"But," insisted Yu, as his face blurred and dissolved into the Velvet Room walls, "we'll meet again, right?"

"Maybe," murmured Minako. "Maybe someday."

Those words hung strangely in the air around them as the Velvet Room faded away. Minako was sure she'd heard them somewhere before, perhaps a very, very long time ago. She could feel them echoing in the depths of her soul as she opened her eyes in the real world, and found herself in the living room of the Iwatodai dorm once again.

"Hey, Mina-tan!" Junpei was standing at Minako's side, shaking her by the shoulder. "Whoa, you were really out of it. Are you okay? Not feeling sick again, right?"

"Junpei? Oh.." Minako blinked the sleep out of her eyes, took a deep breath and got to her feet.

"No," she told him, echoing the same words she'd said to the mysterious boy in the Velvet Room. "I'm all right. Don't worry…I'll be fine."

She smiled, but it felt forced and strange on her face.

"Yeah," sighed Junpei. "That's what I thought you'd say..."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **A bunch of worlds have collided here. Did anyone catch the reference to a game that I will probably never actually finish playing?


	28. The Spell - Chapter Six

**Author's Note: **This will be the last chapter of this little story. It is my intention to take a short writing break after this chapter, to get some other stuff done.

…we'll see if that actually happens.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Somehow, even though it felt to Minako like the world really had ended this time, the next morning came, just as it always did. The next day was a beautiful day, sunny, lovely day, full ofan almost perverse sense of nature's promise that seemed totally out of place in the wake of what they'd all been forced to face the day before. Minako woke up, dressed, and headed downstairs to breakfast just like always, operating on a dazed sort of autopilot.

Downstairs, Misturu, Aigis, Fuuka, Yukari, and Akihiko were already seated around the big dining table. While Fuuka passed around leftover toast from the morning before, nobody said a word.

"Oh," murmured Fuuka eventually, glancing out the window. "It looks like the snow has finally melted. I'm so glad…"

"Ugh," mumbled Akihiko, shaking his head and hugging himself unhappily. "So, then why the hell am I so cold?"

He shivered noticeably, and Mitsuru sneezed. They glanced at each other, then winced and looked away again.

After a moment, Shinjiro emerged from the kitchen, frowned at the assembled, miserable members of SEES, and then walked over to Akihiko's chair.

"Hey," he muttered hesitantly. "You, uh…you want some coffee?"

"What?" Akihiko glanced over his shoulder, looked surprised, and then shrugged. "Sure. Actually…that'd be nice. I could go for something hot, right now."

"All right." Shinjiro headed back into the kitchen. "I'll make some."

"Um, if you wouldn't mind, Shinjiro-senpai," hazarded Fuuka, "I'd love some coffee, too."

"Me too," agreed Yukari, yawning a little. "I'm still so sleepy. I…well, I didn't get much sleep last night, honestly."

"I doubt that any of us did," agreed Mitsuru. "We've all had a great deal to think about over the past twenty-four hours, of course."

"Yeah." Yukari nodded.

They sat in silence for a moment while the sounds and smells of coffee brewing wafted out of the kitchen.

"Hey, senpai," began Yukari suddenly. "Um, can I ask you a question?"

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow. "Yes, of course. What is it?"

For some reason, Yukari shot a quick, wary glance at Minako before continuing. "Okay," she said, returning her attention to Mitsuru. "Then …senpai, are you scared?"

Mitsuru looked taken aback for a moment, then frowned and pursed her lips in thought. "I…well, yes. I suppose I am a bit frightened. Just as Aigis said yesterday, we've all faced the coming of the end before, but this is…different, somehow. There is something more personal about it, and more hopeless, perhaps. There are no more battles for us to win. Yet, I'll admit that, at the same time, I…" Pausing, she trailed off and shook her head. "I'm not quite sure how to put it into words."

Yukari nodded "Yeah," she agreed. "I think I know what you mean. I'm scared too. I'm scared, but…"

Again, Yukari looked over at Minako.

"I'm scared," she went on, "but not as much as I thought I'd be."

"Yeah," said Akihiko. "Yeah..I agree."

"I mean," continued Yukari, "maybe it just hasn't hit me yet, but…I can't help thinking that it really isn't over. I mean…people get sick all the time, don't they?"

Mitsuru frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean."

"Uh…" Yukari faltered. "Well, I just mean that-!"

"There's still hope," interrupted Fuuka, picking up where Yukari had left off. "After all, people do survive sicknesses. Shinjiro-senpai has had the same illness for years, and he's still very much alive, isn't he? The doctors have told him over and over again that he won't make it, but…he's still here."

In the kitchen, Shinjiro made a derisive little sound. Fuuka shot a quick look at him over her shoulder, then flushed.

"O-oh," she murmured, "That was rude of me, wasn't it? I'm sorry."

"Fuuka's right, though," insisted Yukari. "We can't give up hope, Not yet. Shinjiro-senpai's been going through all of those tests, after all. Maybe they'll find a cure, or at least some kind of a treatment."

Yukari smiled hopefully at Shinjiro, but he just shook his head and turned away.

"It's dangerous to hope too much," murmured Mitsuru warningly. "You're likely to be disappointed…and in this case, the disappointment would be fatal."

"And yet," said Aigis quietly, "hope is food for the human soul. Just as we cannot allow it to cloud our judgment, we cannot live without it. There is, as Fuuka-san says, always hope."

"We could still have years to live," went on Yukari encouragingly. "Theodore did say it depended on 'the strength of our souls.' I'd say we're pretty darn strong, wouldn't you?"

For a long moment, Mitsuru didn't answer.

"Yes," she said eventually. "I suppose you're right. Still…I think it would be foolish for us to pretend that this isn't happening. Our fate will catch up with us, whether it happens tomorrow, or ten years from now. Perhaps it is time for us to begin living as though we're aware of that eventuality."

"Every moment matters," agreed Fuuka, smiling. "I mean…it always has, but, now I think we should start taking the time to enjoy the life that we have. I'm glad that I'll have the chance to do that with all of you, even if it ends up only being for a little while."

For the first time that morning, Mitsuru smiled.

While the other three beamed at each other, Minako turned away, feeling sick and twisted up inside.

_It's not going to be anything like that, _she thought. _There's nothing beautiful about this tragedy. We can say and pretend that we're going to enjoy every moment as though it's our last, but haven't you noticed how miserable Shinji looks all the time? We're dying…not romantically, not beautifully, just dying. We'll get sicker and sicker, worse and worse, until there's no point in trying to enjoy life anymore. That's what illness is like. I've seen it before…in Akinarki, and now in Shinjiro. That's what we're all going to experience. That's what you decided to accept…because of me._

Out of the corner of her eye, Minako saw Shinjiro returning to the table, carrying a pot of coffee. He turned to look at her, and for a moment their eyes met.

_He understands, _she thought. _Of course he does. He's been feeling this way for years. Shinji…_

Plunking the coffee pot down on the table, Shinjiro turned back and headed into the kitchen again.

"Oh, Minako," asked Fuuka." Would you like some coffee, too? You'll have to go and get your own mug from the kitchen."

"No thanks," whispered Minako, shaking her head and getting up from her chair. "I…I'm not feeling so great, actually. I think I'm going to go out for a little bit. I'll see you all later."

**A short time later, at the Naganki shrine…**

When Minako arrived at the shrine, she found Theodore standing there with his eyes closed, lost in the middle of what was probably a prayer.

"I thought you'd be here," she said, "Where's Elizabeth?"

Clearly startled, Theodore turned around to face her, and then gave hera shaky, surprised little half-bow.

"Ah, Minako," he murmured. "Elizabeth? I believe she's gone for a walk around town. I asked her if I might have a few moments alone."

"Oh," said Minako. "Sorry to intrude."

Hurriedly, Theodore shook his head. "It's no intrusion," he told her quietly. "I'm pleased to see you. How are you feeling?"

_I feel awful, _thought Minako. _I've been shaking and shivering all morning, and there's pain like a vice somewhere in my chest. I'm tired, too. So tired, but…_

"It's okay," she told him. "I'm fine."

Theodore gave her a sad sort of smile. "You're a very brave young woman," he said kindly. "I have always said so."

Minako chose to ignore that annoyingly condescending comment.

"I wanted to ask you something," she said.

"Oh?" Theodore inclined his head in polite submission. "Certainly. How may I be of service?"

"If I went back to the Seal," asked Minako, "then, what would happen?"

Theodore winced. "I…don't understand the question," he mumbled.

_Oh yes you do, _thought Minako. _I can see it in your shifty eyes._ "If things went back to the way they were," she repeated, "and if the others were no longer responsible for holding up the Seal…would that help? What would happen to us?"

"It's impossible," said Theodore quickly. "The Seal has already been forged. Their souls are irrevocably fused."

"I bet you can unfuse them," countered Minako. "After all, aren't you an Avatar of Power? You're incredibly skilled. You could do it, I'm sure_."_

"I…" Theodore hesitated, then sighed. "Y-yes, I suppose I could, at that. However, what I said at the very beginning remains true. The soul-fusion process is, for your purposes, essentially irreversible. If I were to unfuse the souls of your friends, the strain and shock of the procedure would kill them. It would, of course, kill you as well. You would die instantly. There would be…very little pain."

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, and Minako sighed.

_Maybe, _she thought miserably, _that would be better. After all, we're going to die anyway._

Suddenly, an image of Junpei's face appeared in the back of her mind, with a horribly dejected, defeated sort of look in his eyes as he gazed out the hospital window at the meager flower garden below.

_Maybe, _she remembered him saying, _it would have been better if she'd…no, if they'd never been alive at all._

Even as she finished the thought, it felt wrong. Every fiber of her soul rebelled against the idea that a quick death would be better than a painful life.

_No, _she told herself, echoing Aigis' words from only an hour or so before, _there's always hope. We can't live without it. We have to keep believing. If we give up now, we really are lost, but as long as we're still fighting, there's always, at least, some hope. _

"You must be tired," remarked Theodore, placing a gentle hand on Minako's shoulder. "You should go home and rest with the others."

"Yeah?" Minako shook her head "And then what?"

"And…then?" Theodore blinked. "I suppose you should take the time to say goodbye to those that you are about. You are, of course, without familial ties. Return home and spend time with your friends. Enjoy their company and companionship while you still can. Soon enough, the suffering will all be over. That, at least, is a mercy, if a cruel one."

"No," muttered Minako, again shaking her head.

Theodore raised an eyebrow. "No? I suppose it does not feel like a mercy at the moment, but in a few weeks no doubt you will begin to wish that-!"

"No," repeated Minako, a little bit more loudly, "I'm not going to feel any differently in a few weeks. I'm not going to die in a few weeks, or in a few months, or even in a few years. None of the others are going to die, either. I'm not giving up. It's not over, yet."

Theodore gave her another of his sad, mournful smiles." Denial," he murmured, "achieves nothing."

"It's not denial," blazed Minako angrily.

_Okay, _she thought, frustrated. _I...guess maybe it is denial, but still!_

"I mean it," she insisted. "I told them that I would protect them, that no matter what happened I wouldn't let them suffer for trying to save me. I'm not going back on that promise. I'm not letting them down as their leader. There's got to be a way to stop this, and I'm going to find out what it is. I don't care what I have to do, or how many gods I have to defy or defeat. We're real people with hearts and lives, not just cards in a deck. We won't be pieces in someone's sick, twisted cosmic game anymore. This isn't fair, and it isn't right. I'm going to set it right…no matter what."

She stopped and took a deep breath, aware that her heart was now pounding faster. She could feel the heat of her frustration burning in her cheeks, and Theodore was now watching her, somehow managing to look depressed and impressed at the same time.

"I will," she repeated determinedly, just in case her first little speech hadn't been convincing enough. "I'm going to do this."

"Hmm," murmured Theodore. "If I may be so bold as to ask, what exactly do you propose to do? As I believe I've already said, neither Philemon nor Nyarlathotep can be defeated through physical means. They are immortal, and do not manifest themselves in such a way that your friend with the boxing gloves would be able to carry out any of his threats against their lives."

_Right, _thought Minako. _I know that. Okay, so, actually physically defeating a god in battle is probably out. Where does that leave us?_

"I don't know," she admitted after a long moment. "I don't know what comes next, but…"

She paused, and Theodore waited politely for her to continue the sentence.

"I'm just…I'm not giving up," she finished lamely. "The moment I give up, they win."

"They…win?" Theodore frowned. "Who wins?"

_Everybody but us,apparently, _thought Minako. "I guess what I'm saying, " she said slowly, "is that your super-deities aren't the only ones playing their little game anymore. Philemon is playing. Nyarlathotep is playing, and now we're playing, too. We're going to win, not for Philemon, not to prove a point for the human race, but just for us. This is our fight, now, maybe more than it ever was before. And…that's all. We can't afford to lose."

She knew that she sounded ridiculous, and that all Theodore could probably hear in her angry voice was the bravado of desperation.

_Still, _she told herself, _a few years ago, we saved the human race. Now it's time for us to save ourselves. _

**Fin.**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Okay, so, that's where we're ending that one. So, who wants to see some Persona 4 characters?


	29. Drive Out Darkness - Chapter One

**Author's Note: **So…that whole writing break thing might wait for another week or so. Let's assume I'll take that break once my night classes start up again, in a couple of weeks. For now, here's a new story.

Please note the time stamp at the beginning of the chapter – six months have passed since Minako and the others learned the truth about their fates.

* * *

**Fifth Story: **

**Drive Out Darkness**

_Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. _

_-Martin Luther King Jr._

* * *

**Chapter One – September 1, 2012**

As always, summer break flew by and then abruptly came to an end. Before he knew it, Yosuke Hanamura was on his way to back to school, plodding down the road, wistfully dreaming of all the blissful nothing that he could have been doing at that moment as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

_Yeah, but, _said a little voice in the back of his head. _Seriously, it's not like this summer break was really that great. There was…definitely something missing. Maybe going back to school isn't so bad. Class might be annoying, but at least I won't be bored anymore._

The truth was that summer break really just hadn't been as fun this year as it had the year before.

_I might as well face it, _he told himself ruefully. _Nothing's ever going to be able to top the fun that we had last year at the beach! Oh, and let's not forget about the_ _fireworks festival. Even Nanako looked kind of down, this year, and she LOVES fireworks! I guess I know how she feels, though…_

By now, he could see the school a little ways up the road. There were already kids rushing in through the double doors, but Yosuke didn't feel much like racing to class. Instead, he yawned luxuriously, then stopped just outside the gate to wait for the others.

_It's not that I'm not having a good time with everybody, _he thought, _ it's just…nothing's really the same without Yu. I promised myself I'd quit getting all sentimental about it, but I miss him. We all miss him. Hanging out just feels lamer without him. Kinda crazy, considering he was only here for a year, but…he's a part of our team. It's weird, going back to life without him. Weird in a not-cool way. Man…I gotta get out of this funk. It's already been almost half a year. It's time to get over it, were all doing a ton better about it until he came to visit at the beginning of break. I wish he coulda stayed for more than just a week. There was so much we all wanted to do together...feels like we didn't end up having any time at all._

"Yosuke!" Chie came running up the road, with Yukiko walking along a bit more sedately behind her.

"Good morning," said Yukiko politely. "Are you ready to start school again?"

"Morning," muttered Yosuke. "And…ready to start school? What do you think? I could use another two or three weeks of break."

"Make that two or three months," agreed Chie, sighing. "Oh well. No point in complaining about stuff we've got no say in. Let's just get this over with. Come on!"

With the typical bounce in her step, Chie started off for the school entrance.

"We should probably go too," suggested Yukiko. "We're a little late. The bell's going to ring, soon."

"Ugh," mumbled Yosuke. "Do I have to? Fine…"

Together they hurried into the school, where they found Chie chatting with Kanji, Rise and Naoto underneath the big first-floor bulletin board.

"Morning, senpais!" Rise gave Yosuke and Yukiko a cheery little wave. "Welcome back!"

Kanji shot her a doubtful look. "What are you so happy about, huh? I'm exhausted. Wish I could just go back to sleep."

"You usually sleep through class, anyway," countered Rise. "I'm not even sure how being at school makes a difference for you."

Kanji looked hurt. "H-hey, that's not true! I've been paying attention...kinda. Look, sometimes I just get kinda distracted in class. Ma's been working me pretty hard, training me to take over the store, and all. A guy needs his sleep, that's all I'm saying."

"Kanji-kun's studies have been going extremely well," remarked Naoto. "His grades have drastically improved since last year."

"Jeez," mumbled Kanji, looking embarrassed. "Wait, is that a compliment? It…felt sorta backhanded, somehow."

"In any case," said Naoto, ignoring that question, "We'd best make our way to our classrooms. It wouldn't do to start the new semester by missing homeroom. We'll see you later, senpais."

"Yeah," agreed Yosuke. "Bye, everybody. See you after school."

"We can celebrate surviving our first day back with a steak-party at Junes!" Rise turned and beamed at Chie.

"Sure," agreed Chie, nodding emphatically. "Yep, that sounds great. You know me! I'll never say no to a great steak! Not that Junes is exactly known for it's GREAT steak, but I'll take what I can get."She shrugged, and then laughed.

Although everyone was smiling and behaving basically like their normal selves, Yosuke got the sense that they were all trying just a little bit too hard. The smiles all seemed just a tiny bit forced.

_So, _he realized, _I guess I'm not the only one who thought that this year's summer break was a little bit lame. They probably all miss him, too. I mean, of course they do. Maybe we should give him a call, later, when school's out. _

Eventually, Yosuke, Yukiko and Chie all trudged up the stairs to their own classroom. When they got there, there was a lot of commotion inside for some reason, and the classroom seemed really noisy.

"Huh?" Chie frowned. "What's going on? Oh no, don't tell me…are we having a pop quiz?"

"That should be fine," said Yukiko. "I spent some time during the break going over this week's material. I wanted to make sure that I didn't fall too far behind, and I ended up getting a little bit ahead."

"What?" Chie stared at her. "Oh, crap…I haven't even opened the book for like a month. This is gonna suck."

Reluctantly, they took their seats.

"Hey," hissed a girl sitting next to Yosuke. "Did you hear? We might be getting another transfer student!"

"Again?" The boy to her right sounded surprised. "Wait, didn't this already happen last year? Boy or girl?"

"Huh? How should I know?" The girl shrugged. "It's just a rumor, anyway. Ask Hiro, he's the one who told me. I think he heard it from Kaya, and she usually knows what she's talking about, so…"

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a tall and elegant woman whom none of them had ever seen before.

"Wow," whispered Chie. "She's beautiful!"

"Yeah," muttered Yosuke, sitting up straighter in his chair and suddenly wishing he'd taken the time to shower that morning. "You can say that again…"

"Good morning, class," crooned the beautiful lady. "My name is Ms. Kanou, and I'll be taking over for Mr. Hosoi, who retired unexpectedly a few months ago. I'm your new homeroom teacher, but I'm still learning all about your school, so I hope that you'll be nice to me and help me out as much as you can. Heehee!"

"Um...she giggled," whispered Chie. "Like a little kid. Somehow, though, it didn't sound quite as weird, coming from her."

"Ms. Kashiwagi won't be pleased," replied Yukiko. "Ms. Kanou really is a very attractive lady. She'll be a formidable rival in the staff room."

"Now, class, before we begin," continued Ms. Kanou, clasping her hands in front of her and generally contriving to look as charming as possible, "I have a little surprise for you! Today, as you've probably already heard, we have a new transfer student, although…I think, if I have this right, that many of you might already know him. Just in case, though, I'll have him come forward and introduce himself."

She turned to beam at the door, and Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko all swiveled around in their chairs to follow her gaze.

"Wha-?" Chie's jaw dropped. "Wait…no way!"

"It can't be," gasped Yukiko. "Is…is it really him?"

Yosuke just stared as Yu Narukami walked up to the front of the room, turned to face his class and smiled.

"Good morning," he said politely. "It's nice to see you all again. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of the year with you."

Ms. Kanou smiled and nodded at him. "Well, wasn't that nice? Oh, you'll need to find a seat. Well, let's see…there must be a vacant seat out there somewhere! Who wants to sit next to our new friend, hmm?"

"I do!" Yosuke got up so fast that his chair fell over. "Uh, I mean…Ms. Kanou, this seat right here is free!"

Yu's eyes met Yosuke's, and both of them started to grin like idiots.

"Very well," said Ms. Kanou. "In that case, Mr. Narukami, why don't you go have a seat? I still have to decide what we're going to talk about today." She sighed wistfully. "What a bore. Oh, I have an idea. Why don't you all tell me a little bit about your summer break? Now, who wants to go first?"

While some overachieving girl in the front row raised her hand and started droning on about the boys she'd met over summer break, Yu strode over and took his seat next to Yosuke.

"Hey, partner," he whispered.

"Yu-kun!" Yukiko was beaming all over her face. "You…you really came back!"

"Best day ever," exclaimed Chie, pumping one fist enthusiastically into the air. "I'm so glad!"

"Hey, wait," insisted Yosuke. "Hang on a second. Yu, is this for real? Like…you're really coming back to Yasogami? What about your life in the big city? How come you didn't call or say anything about this?"

Yu just shrugged. "I wanted to surprise you," he said. "I guess this is payback for that little surprise party you guys threw me when I came to visit over summer break. You should have seen the looks on your faces when I came in just now…it was worth it."

"I've never been so surprised," said Yukiko. "It's so wonderful, but…Yu-kun, is everything all right? Did your parents have to change jobs, again?"

"No." Yu shook his head. "This was my decision. After a few months at my old school, I realized that things were never going to be the same for me, after last year. My priorities have changed. I thought that I wanted things to go back to normal, and that I wanted to have a regular school life gain, but it wasn't that simple. I didn't just want to live a normal life. I want to live a normal life with you guys. Otherwise it's not worth it."

"Aw!" Chie looked like she might be about to cry embarrassing tears of joy. "We missed you too, Yu! Welcome home!"

"Dojima-san must be so pleased," remarked Yukiko. "And Nanako-chan, too! I know she's been so lonely without you. Well, I guess we all have, really."

"Actually," said Yu, "I haven't seen Nanako yet. She was asleep by the time I got in last night, and I left before she woke up this morning. Uncle Dojima knew about this weeks ago, of course…I mean, I had to ask him if it was okay for me to move back in. He seemed pretty happy, but I don't think he told Nanako. It'll be a big surprise for her, too, when I get home."

"Seriously? Shes' going to be THRILLED!" Chie laughed. "Wait, this I gotta see. Can we come home with you after school? I can't WAIT to see the big smile on Nanako-chan's face!"

"I was sort of hoping that you would," agreed Yu. "Uncle Dojima's having some friends from work over for a kind-of welcome-back party tonight, and I wanted to ask you guys, too. "

"Yes," said Yukiko instantly. "Oh, yes, please!"

"Of course we're coming," added Chie. "I wouldn't miss this for the whole wide world! Yosuke, you're coming too, right?"

Yosuke was still having a hard time wrapping his head around Yu's sudden, surprise appearance. He opened his mouth to say that yes, of course he was coming, but for a long moment no coherent words came out.

There was a weird, prickly feeling at the back of Yosuke's eyes, and he cleared his throat, refusing to admit to himself that he might be about to cry.

_Nope, _he thought, _that's not happening. Be a man, Yosuke. Keep it together._

"It wouldn't be much of a party without you," said Yu, as Yosuke continued to stare.

"What? Oh, no, I'm…I'm definitely coming," insisted Yosuke, nodding emphatically. "Like Chie said, there's no way I'd miss out on this. Uh…"

"Aw, Yosuke." Chie gave him a wicked sort of smile. "You look all choked up."

"Shut up," hissed Yosuke.

Yu started to grin again.

"Uh," continued Yosuke, reaching a hand out under the desk. "Look, I'm…real glad to have you back, partner. Life sure got boring fast while you were gone."

Yu took Yosuke's hand under the desk, and clasped it a firm, manly handshake.

"I'm glad to be back," he said. "I'm…glad to be home."

As they dropped hands again and straightened up in their seats, Yosuke felt a warm feeling rushing up from somewhere deep in his core.

"And now, class," announced Ms. Kanou from the front of the room, "I guess that's about it for today. Let's see…what shall we do for homework tonight?"

**To be continued.**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

Please note that since we are following Atlus's "non-canon" storyline (Minako's storyline) we're including the Persona 4 Golden epilogue. I'm doing my best to piece together all of Atlus' alternate universes into some sort of coherent pattern...


	30. Drive Out Darkness - Chapter Two

**Author's Note: **I didn't like that last chapter. Can't explain why, but I just didn't like it. Something felt wrong.

Let's see if I can do any better with this chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

The rest of the day flew by in a flash, and before Yosuke knew it he was leaving school again, surrounded by all of his closest friends.

Rise was ecstatic. "Senpai," she gushed, clinging on to Yu's arm as they walked, "this is absolutely positively the best surprise in the whole world! When I saw you coming out of the classroom, I thought my heart was going to burst open! Are you really staying? Promise you're not going to leave, this time. Promise!"

Kanji shot Rise a look. "Hey, could you let the guy breathe for a second? He just got in last night, so he's probably still tired from the trip. You don't hafta hang on him like that."

Rise just rolled her eyes.

"Don't pretend, Kanji," she said "You're just as excited as I am, aren't you?"

"Hey, I never said I wasn't," muttered Kanji. "Just…you know, a man needs his space. Besides…you, uh, shouldn't be hogging senpai all to yourself like that. Some of the rest of us want to talk to him too, you know? Uh…"

Rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck, Kanji looked to Naoto for help.

"I too am delighted to have Yu-senpai back with us," murmured Naoto. "Let's not get overexcited, however. We'll all have plenty of time to spend with him, now that he has returned for good."

Pausing for a moment, she suddenly shot Yu a sidelong look.

"You are planning a prolonged stay this time. That's correct, isn't it? I…well, I certainly don't want to get my hopes up for no reason," she mumbled.

"See? See?" Rise nodded emphatically. "Even Naoto's excited!"

Naoto flushed, and Yosuke had to hide a smile.

"Yes, I'm planning to stay," Yu reassured them. "At least, I'll stay as long as I can. I'm going to be applying to colleges this year, although I haven't really thought about where I'll try to go, yet."

"Oh…that's right." Chie's shoulders dropped a little. "We really do only have one year left together, anyway. After that, we'll probably all head in different directions."

"Oh, yeah? Speak for yourself." Kanji shrugged. "I ain't going nowhere. Something tells me that college isn't gonna be worth trying for. I'm not exactly an, uh, intellectual type."

"Don't sell yourself short," said Naoto. "You're far more intelligent than you give yourself credit for. If you wanted to attempt a college application, I would, of course, be delighted to help you select universities appropriate for your skill level."

"Aw," whispered Rise, watching as Kanji now began to blush as well. "Naoto, you can be really sweet when you want to be."

Naoto glared at her. "I…I'm only speaking the truth. There's nothing 'sweet' or sentimental about it, obviously."

"So," asked Yosuke, "what about you, Chie? Are you going to try applying to college?"

"Uh, actually…I'm not sure," admitted Chie. Frowning to herself, she mumbled, "just…promise you're not going to laugh, okay?"

"Of course we won't laugh," Yukiko assured her. She turned ad raised a warning eyebrow at the others, sternly informing that they had better not even think about laughing.

"Well, um…" Chie took a deep breath, then started again. "Okay, so I've been thinking about trying for the police."

"Huh." Yosuke nodded to himself. "Yeah…yeah, I guess that makes a lot of sense, actually."

"Oh, and I know it's not as simple as it looks in all the movies," added Chie hastily. "It's not really all about beating up bad guys and exciting shoot-outs in back alleys. I totally know that. I just…I've been talking to Dojima-san a lot lately, and I think that if I could maybe learn to have better discipline and to focus a little more, I could really make a difference in the police. I could help and protect people, like the people of this town…and all of you. That's pretty much what I've always really wanted, so…"

She trailed off again, wincing and not quite meeting anyone's eyes.

"It's okay," she said with a sigh. "If you want, you can laugh. I know, it's pretty stupid."

Yu and Yosuke exchanged a quick look.

"I don't think it's stupid at all," Yu told her. "I think you'd be an excellent police woman. You're very dedicated, Chie. I've always thought that was one of your best traits. Dedication to the job is important in any field, but particularly in law enforcement. Just look at Uncle Dojima."

"Heh…yeah," agreed K anji thoughtfully. "Dedicated, huh? That's…one way of putting it."

"I'm sure he agrees with me that you'd be a great addition to the force," finished Yu, smiling.

"R-really? You really think so?" Chie looked genuinely taken aback. "Wow, I…um, that's really nice. I mean…thanks."

She grinned with relief.

"What about you, Yosuke?" Yu turned to look at his best friend. "Do you want to go to college?"

Yosuke had known that the question was coming, but he really didn't have any kind of an answer.

"Maybe?" He shrugged. "Honestly, I…haven't really made up my mind yet about that stuff. It's not that I haven't been thinking about it, it's just…"

He made a vague, helpless sort of gesture with one hand.

"You'll want to make up your mind very soon," Naoto informed him. "We'll need to take our college entrance exams in a matter of only a few months. Time is running out."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," sighed Yosuke. "Trust me, it's not like my parents haven't been hassling me about it all the time. Uh, anyway…"

Hoping to change the subject, he started to ask if maybe they shouldn't go straight back to Dojima's house, to see if Nanako wanted to come with them to Junes.

Before he had a chance to get the words out however, a skinny, pale boy that Yosuke didn't recognize stepped out in front of them, stopping the group in its tracks. He had lank, light-brown hair, a shifty sort of look in his eyes and large, bony-fingered hands. There was something hidden in one of those big clenched fists, too, but Yosuke couldn't quite see what it was.

"Hey," he grunted, nodding at them. Glancing over his shoulder, he did a quick check to make sure that nobody else was in earshot. "You guys flighty?"

Holding out his clenched fist to them, the boy opened his hand to reveal a small clear bottle of what looked like little black pills.

"So," he asked. "You want the hook up?"

"Ugh," muttered Rise. "No thanks."

"Not again," sighed Yukiko. "Sorry, but…we're not interested."

Without giving the boy a chance to respond, Rise and Yukiko started off again, heading quickly down the road and away from the school.

"Tch," muttered the boy, glaring after them. "…whatever."

He turned on his heel and started back towards the schoolhouse, leaving Yosuke, Yu and the others to hurry and catch up with Yukiko and Rise.

"Damnit," hissed Kanji. "I hate that stuff. Somebody oughta do something about it."

"Yes," agreed Yukiko crisply. "We should tell Dojima-san, or one of the other officers."

Yeah," said Yosuke. "Good idea, Yukiko. We'll mention it when we get to Dojima-san's place. We'll want to give him a description of the guy."

Yu looked confused. "Hey," he said, frowning. "What was that all about? Who was that, and what did he mean, were we 'flighty?'"

Chie sighed. "Right, I forgot. You wouldn't know about it. That guy was probably a dealer. There's this weird new street drug that's getting super popular with students, for some reason. Usually, you only see people trying to sell it around exam time, but I guess this guy decided to get a head-start, now that break's over. It's called 'Black Butterfly,' I think. 'Are you flighty' is some kind of weird code-phrase that people use when they want to find out if you're on the drug. Honestly, the whole thing just creeps me out."

"The Inaba police department has attempted a crackdown," added Naoto grimly, "but they are struggling to locate the drug's origin. Many of the dealers, when apprehended, are vague about where their product came from. There seems to already be a complex network of buyers and sellers, and determining the original source has proven extremely difficult. Dojima-san has had his hands full in recent weeks."

"Really? He never said anything about that to me." Yu looked a little hurt.

"No doubt," Naoto assured him, "he did not wish to worry you."

"The drug's supposed to help you study better," said Kanji. "Man…I hate shit like that. Even if it does make you smarter, nothing's worth putting weird chemicals in your body and getting your head all messed up."

"It doesn't just help you study," added Yukiko. "Um, one of our customers says that Black Butterfly 'calms your soul and relaxes your heart. It helps you suppress the baser and more primitive parts of yourself, and focuses your whole being."

"Yukiko…you don't believe that stuff, do you?" Chie's eyes went wide. "That's all just commercial crap, isn't it? It's probably actually really bad for you."

"Oh, no," insisted Yukiko quickly "Of course I don't believe it! That's only what I've heard. I'd never take drugs. For one thing, it's illegal!"

Chie relaxed. "Yeah…right, I guess I knew you wouldn't. Sorry, all this stuff about creepy guys and drugs kinda puts me on edge. Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Sure," agreed Yosuke. "That's probably a good idea. So, what are we having for dinner tonight? Yu, are you cooking? Man, I gotta tell you, I have missed the stuff that you make. Nothing else around here's really that good."

Yukiko shook her head. "Yu-un can't cook his own celebration dinner. That's not fair! Oh, Chie, why don't you and I make something? After all, it's always polite to bring something when you go to a party at someone else's house. We are last minute guests, so it would be nice if we could contribute."

"Hey…that's not a bad idea." Chie grinned. "What do you think we should make? I haven't tried cooking anything in a long time, so this'll be great practice. What kinds of foods are good for a party? Yukiko, you'd know a lot more about that stuff than I would. Should we play it safe and try making a dessert? Maybe a cake?"

While Yukiko and Chie beamed at one another, alarm bells began going off in Yosuke's head.

He shot a quick, frantic look at Yu, who just shook his head, shrugged, and rolled his eyes.

_Somehow, _thought Yosuke, _I get the feeling that Dojima-san would appreciate it way more if the girls DIDN'T bring anything. Sometimes, it really isn't the thought that counts. This is probably one of those times…_

**A short time later, at the Dojima residence…**

While Yu unlocked the front door, Chie bounced excitedly up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Nanako-chan's going to be so happy," she exclaimed. "Do you think she's home yet?"

"Probably," said Yu. "Her school lets out a little earlier than ours does. She should be here."

He pushed open the door, and the entire group hurried inside.

"Nanako-chan," called Rise. "Yoo-hoo! It's me, Rise! I've got a surprise for you!"

"A surprise, huh?" Unexpectedly, Dojima came out of the kitchen, grinning. "I have a feeling I know what it is."

"Dojima-san!" Yosuke was surprised. "Um…hello, sir. Wait, uh, isn't it a little early for you to be home?"

"Yeah," agreed Dojima. "I took the afternoon off of work, for once. Got something important to do today."

Turning around, he bellowed over his shoulder at the stairwell." Nanako! Come on, up, someone's here to see you."

"Huh? To see me? Who is it?"

They heard Nanako's footsteps pounding quickly up the stairs, and then she emerged from the basement, bright-eyed, smiling, and holding a little green and blue school book.

"Oh, everyone's here!" She beamed at them. "Hello! Did you finish school already? My teacher gave us a ton of reading today, and it's only the first day back from break! Elementary school's kind of hard…but it's fun. I'm glad that I get to see all my school friends, again."

"Nanako," said Yukiko, "do you think you can come out with us to Junes, today? There's someone here who's been waiting all day to spend some time with you."

"Oh, um…I don't know," began Nanako. "It sounds like fun, but like I said, I have a lot of homework, so…"

She trailed off as Yu stepped forward from behind the others, and Nanako finally saw him. Her jaw dropped and her eyes started fill with tears as she unceremoniously dumped the book on the floor and ran full-tilt into his arms.

"BIG BRO!" Throwing her arms around him, she snuggled into his chest, now apparently oblivious to the presence of anyone else in the room. "You're BACK! You came! I missed you so much! Are you going to stay for a while? I have so much to talk to you about! I started to write you a letter, but I couldn't figure out how to spell some of the words, and I thought you'd be embarrassed and mad at me if you couldn't figure out what some of the words meant, so I didn't send it, but then I gave it to Dad to look over, and he forgot about it and left it at work, so…"

As Nanako rambled excitedly on, Yosuke and the others all laughed. Again, that warm feeling crept up inside Yosuke, and when he turned to look at Dojima, he found that the grizzled old police detective was smiling just as broadly as the rest of them.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

Yep, I do feel a little better about this one.

I think I'd better find some time to play through Persona 4 again…it's been a little while, and I might need the refresher.


	31. Drive Out Darkness - Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **So, someone has just brought to my attention that I should probably include Teddie in this story somewhere.

…fiiiiiine.

No, I didn't forget about him, even if I don't love writing him. You'll see him in a minute.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Hey," said Dojima, when Yu had finally managed to detach himself from an ecstatic Nanako, "Yu, I know you're getting ready to go out with your friends, but can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Of course." Yu nodded. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah," agreed Dojima. "Well, something like that. Actually…well, I took this afternoon off of work because I'm going over to the prison."

"Oh…I see." Yu frowned.

Yosuke's blood ran cold for a moment, and he turned away in disgust.

_Adachi, huh? _He sighed in exasperation. _So, Dojima-san's still visiting him. I'll never understand why. It's way more than that asshole's ever gonna deserve._

"You know what I'm going to ask, don't you?" Dojima gave Yu a long, searching look. "I want you to come with me. I think he'd like to see you, even if he'll never admit it."

Yu looked startled.

"Look," said Dojima, "I'm not going to force you. I know that you're probably still angry, and god knows you've got a right to be. If you don't want to go, that's fine, and I respect that, but-!"

"No," interrupted Yu, shaking his head. "It's fine. I'll go with you."

"Really?" Dojima's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Huh…thanks. You know, sometimes I forget what a nice guy you are."

Turning to the others, Dojima grimaced apologetically.

"Sorry to ruin your plans," he told them. "We'll be back in time for dinner tonight, so I hope you'll all join us. It won't be anything fancy, but it'll be nice have everyone home again. I know Nanako's really looking forward to it, aren't you, Nanako?"

Nanako beamed. "Of course I am! I'm making cookies for dessert, so I hope you're all super hungry!"

"Uh,"began Yu, looked alarmed. "Wait, are you sure? Shouldn't someone help you?"

"Oh man," whispered Chie to Yukiko. "I guess that means dessert is out. What else could we make?"

"Sorry guys," said Yu. "I promise, I'll come to Junes with you next time."

"Oh, it's no trouble," insisted Yukiko. "After all, since you're staying for at least the whole year, we'll have plenty of opportunities to spend time together."

"Yeah," agreed Kanji. "Don't sweat it, senpai. Family stuff's important, too."

_Does this really count as 'family' stuff? _Yosuke gritted his teeth. _I mean, sure, he's probably only doing it because Dojima-san asked him to, but…_

"I'm gonna go up to my room and change out of my uniform," Yu was saying. "Have fun at Junes, everyone. I'll see you later at the party."

"Bye, senpai!" Rise waved as Yu started up the stairs. "I'll be looking forward to seeing you tonight! I'll wear something super-cute for the occasion, too! Get excited!"

She winked, and the other girls rolled their eyes without any real malice.

"Uh, senpai, we'd better get going," announced Kanji, glancing up at the clock on the wall. "Teddie's gonna wonder what happened to us. We gotta tell him the good news."

"Oh, he's gonna be seriously bummed that he missed seeing Yu!" Chie sighed. "Oh well, I guess it can't be helped. He'll come to the party with us, later, so it'll be fine. He's gonna complain, though. Bye, Nanako-chan! Bye Dojima-san! See you tonight!"

"Yeah," agreed Dojima, nodding. "See you."

As the others shuffled out, presumably heading for Junes, Yosuke lingered in the living room. Before long, he, Dojima and Nanako were the only people left downstairs.

"Oh," said Nanako, catching sight of the look on Yosuke's face and hurriedly heading for the stairwell." Um, that's right, I have a lot of homework to do. I'll see you later, Yosuke! Bye, Dad! I'll get as much work done as I can by dinnertime, so I won't have to leave early. I'm excited!"

With that, she started back downstairs.

Dojima turned to Yosuke. "So," he asked, "what's up? You look like there's something you want to say."

Yosuke cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh…well, it's not really my business," he began, "but…"

"No," agreed Dojima sternly, "it isn't. Still…" Softening a little bit, he shrugged. "I guess you might as well be family. You're close enough, anyway."

. Yosuke opened his mouth in surprise. "I…never expected to hear something like that from you," he managed. "Um, thank you, sir."

Dojima waved that impatiently away with one dismissive hand. "You don't have to thank me," he said. "You've been a great friend to my nephew, and you've been there for Nanako every time her 'Big Bro' couldn't be around to help her out when she needed it. Maybe I'm the one who should be thanking you, so if there's something I can help you figure out, then let's hear it. I'm listening."

Yosuke nodded, swallowed, and tried to muster up the courage to ask the question that he'd been stewing over for months, ever since he'd first found out thaDojima had been willingly visiting Adachi in prison.

"I…I just don't get it, I guess," he said eventually, shrugging. "How the hell can you keep going to see that creep after the stuff that he did? I mean…sorry, maybe I could have put that a little better, but…I don't understand. He's a monster. He's-!"

"There's something that Nanako always says to me," interrupted Dojima thoughtfully. "I'm pretty sure she picked it up from one of her kindergarten teachers. She always says 'there's no such thing as a bad person, just a person who makes bad choices.' Maybe she's got a point, there."

"Bad choices?" Yosuke gaped. "Are you…? Um, you can't be serious. No, Adachi's a bad person. He's a murderer. You can't call terrible crimes like his just 'bad choices.'"

"Can't you?" Dojima frowned to himself. "Sometimes, I don't know. Maybe you're right. Still, he was my partner. I guess you could say he's a friend, for what it's worth."

"Some kind of friend," muttered Yosuke darkly. "He'll never be worth your friendship, Dojima-san. He's not worth anything. He barely even deserves to be alive."

"Stop it," said Dojima sternly, raising an eyebrow at Yosuke. "Now you're starting to cross the line."

"Sorry," mumbled Yosuke. "It's just-!"

"Yeah," sighed Dojima. "I get it."

Rubbing uncomfortably at the back of his neck, he chewed thoughtfully on his lip for a moment, and then tried again.

"Look," he said, a bit more gently. "Uh, try thinking about it like this. What would you do if you found out that one of your friends…like, uh, Satonka, maybe, was selling that Black Butterfly drug that got so popular all of a sudden?"

"Huh…?" Yosuke blinked. "I mean…well, I don't know. Chie would never do something like that. She hates drugs, and all kinds of-!"

"Don't play dumb," snapped Dojima. "It's a hypothetical, and you know it. What would you do if you found out she was selling drugs? Would you hate her for that?"

For a long moment, Yosuke stood in uncomfortable silence, shuffling his feet awkwardly and trying to come up with an appropriate response.

"I…it's different," he managed finally. "I mean, selling drugs to high school kids is one thing, and murder is something else."

"Oh, really?" Dojima looked doubtful. "You don't think drug dealing is just as bad as murder? Look, Hanamura, at least if someone strangles you or shoots you, you die instantly. Dying from overuse of an addictive drug is a lot worse. It happens slowly, painfully, over a long period of time. If you don't get the stuff, you drive yourself crazy and the withdrawal makes you sick as hell. If you do take the stuff, it eats away at your insides and at your brain, until you might as well be a walking corpse. You-!"

"Wait, " interjected Yosuke, eyes wide. "Is that what happens if you take 'Black Butterfly?' I've never heard of any side effects like that. That's…that's insane. Why would anybody do that?"

Dojima just sighed and shook his head. "It's not that simple," he said, shrugging. "That's all I'm trying to say, really. Nothing's as black and white as we want to think it is."

He stopped, frowned, and looked as though there was something else that he wanted to say. Then, rubbing wearily at his temple, he turned away.

"I'm getting a headache," he said. "Seems to be happening a lot lately. Maybe I'm finally getting old."

Yosuke winced. "No way, Dojima-san. I just…uh, sorry. I guess I am kind of being a pain in the ass."

"You're not," retorted Dojima. "You're just being human. Anyway…your friends are probably waiting for you at Junes. You should get going. I'll see you later at the party, all right?"

"Yes sir," mumbled Yosuke. "Uh…thanks for the talk."

"Nothing to thank me for," returned Dojima. "Go on, get out of here."

Hurriedly, Yosuke left the house and made his way as quickly as he could over to Junes. As he walked, he turned Dojima's words over and over in the back of his mind, trying to make some sense of the fact that this hard-boiled paragon of justice was still voluntarily visiting a murderer in prison, and calling him his 'friend.'

_Well, _he asked himself, _I mean…what exactly would I do if it turned out that Chie, or Kanji, or even Yu was doing something horrible, like selling drugs? I mean…they'd never do something like that. If I ever found out that they were doing it, I'd know that I'd been wrong about them all along. They wouldn't be the friends I'd thought I'd known, so…what would that mean? _

Beside him on _t_he street, a car drove lazily by, classical music playing through the stereo as a child complained loudly in the back seat.

_The truth is, _realized Yosuke, _I don't think I could ever hate Chie, or Kanji, or Yu…or any of them. Even if it turned out that they were doing something horrible, I couldn't just stop caring about them. It doesn't work that way. I guess it really isn't that simple._

Feeling like he'd probably just made a complete ass of himself in front of a man whom he legitimately respected, Yosuke tried not to let himself think about that encounter the rest of the way to Junes. When he finally got there, he saw Rise waving at him from over at one of the tables in the far corner. Everyone seemed to be clustering around Teddie, who was wearing his bear suit and holding a topsicle in each hand as he listened with rapt attention to whatever it was that Yukiko was telling him.

"…and," Yukiko was saying, "of course you'll come with us to the party tonight. Chie and I are still trying to figure out what we're going to make. Do you have any ideas, Teddie?"

"Yeah," agreed Chie" Hey, what's on sale in the grocery department today? Maybe we can buy a bunch of cheap ingredients and then just see what we can make with those."

Kanji shuddered. "Please…please don't do that."

"Hey, guys," announced Yosuke as he approached the table. "Sorry I'm so late. Teddie, are you seriously eating topsicles in September? Summer's over, man. Besides, where did you even get those?"

"Yosuke!" Teddie rushed over to Yosuke's side, his eyes wide, starry and full of happy, glistening tears. "Sensei's back! Yuki-chan and Chie-chan just told me! He's back for the whole year! I'm so happy I can bearly stand it…"

Teddie began to sob, and Kanji rolled his eyes.

"Sheesh," he muttered." Why's everybody cryin' today?"

"Shut up, Kanji," suggested Rise, nudging Kanji in the ribs. "I'm sure I saw you tearing up a little bit when Yu-senpai first walked out of that classroom. It's nothing to be ashamd of. We'really, really happy! That's great!"

"I'm hungry," announced Chie. "Hey, now that Yosuke's here, can we order some food?"

"Oh, me too! I want something too!" Teddie slid quickly into a seat at the table.

"Sorry, Teddie," said Yukiko, shaking her head at him. "But, aren't you supposed to be working, right now?"

"Aw, but..Yuki-chan," insisted Teddie, twinkling innocently t her, "how is a bear supposed to work on an empty stomach? I'd do a much better job if my tummy was full. Honest!"

As the others chatted and argued good naturedly with Teddie, Yosuke caught sight of a familiar face out of the corner of his eye. It was the pale, sallow-looking boy who they'd seen earlier, trying to sell drugs outside of Yasogami high.

"Hey," called Yosuke angrily, taking a couple of steps towards the boy and clenching his fists. "What are you doing here? We don't want you selling that crap at our store. You-!"

He stopped, because suddenly the boy was gone. Yosuke blinked and looked around, trying to figure out where he'd gone, but there wasn't a sign of him anywhere.

"Yosuke?" Chie was frowning at him. "Are you okay? Who are you shouting at?"

Sinking back down into one of the plastic seats, Yosuke just shook his head.

"Nobody, I guess," he said. "Looks like he got away. Nevermind. Yeah…let's eat. I'm starving."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **HaHA! I have officially released two chapters in one day! Do we think I can write a third? Can I?

…not sure, let's see. Depends on what time Dag gets home, honestly.

"


	32. Drive Out Darkness - Chapter Four

**Author's Note: **So, I forced myself to play through a bit more of Persona Q, and I FINALLY made it to the end of the first dungeon.

Frankly, I don't hate the game any less, but I have decided that I am going to include some aspects of it in this story.

THEREFORE, LET IT BE KNOWN: Henceforth, the events of Persona Q (as recorded in the canon) are consistent with the timeline of **Firebird. **

…of course, this means that I have no choice but to finish the game. Argh. Oh well. It'll add to the story, so I suppose it'll be worth it.

Let's just…get on with the chapter before I change my mind.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

A few hours later, the party at Dojima's house was already in full swing.

Yosuke and Teddie had picked up a bunch of side dishes and dessert items from the grocery department at Junes. It looked as though Dojima must have ordered some takeout as well, because the tiny dining table in the living room was covered in plastic plates and tupperware containers, most of which were half-empty by the time Yosuke made his way over to the food. The only dishes that obviously hadn't been touched were a plate of very lumpy, dangerous-colored cookies with little candy hearts stuck to the top, and a large bowl of doubtful casserole that Yukiko and Chie had made from various ingredients they'd picked up at half-price. There was a noxious, purple-colored film wafting off the top of the casserole, and whoever had laid out the food had been careful to keep every other dish as far away as possible from it. Yosuke was impressed that Dojima hadn't just thrown it away without a second thought.

The TV was on, and Nanako, Rise and Teddie were all camped out in front of it, their eyes wide as they stared at the screen and raced each other to see who could be the first to answer each quiz question on their favorite local program.

Chie and Yukiko were in the kitchen, frowning over a pot of something that Yosuke was afraid to try and identify.

"Um," mumbled Chie, "do you think it came out okay? I don't think it's supposed to be that color…"

"We won't know until we taste it," replied Yukiko.

For a moment, they stood and stared at each other in stunned, distasteful silence.

"Wait," suggested Chie, "I've got a better idea. Hey, Kanji? Can you come and help us out with something?"

"Huh? Yeah, what's up?" Before Yosuke had a chance to warn him, Kanji was already on his way into the kitchen.

_Poor bastard, _thought Yosuke, shaking his head. _Making a guy taste something like that is just about as close to attempted murder as it gets._

Against the far wall by the door, Dojima and Naoto were engaged in hushed and heated conversation with two people whom Yosuke didn't recognize. One was a large man with a big, friendly-looking face and obviously thinning sandy-colored hair. The other was an alarmingly skinny woman with a mannish kind of figure, and long, stick-straight black hair.

As Yosuke watched, Yu came down from upstairs, looked around, and then locked eyes with him.

"Yosuke," he said, wandering over to join him, "how are you doing? Tell me you didn't eat the casserole."

"Uh…no," muttered Yosuke. "I don't have a death wish, thanks."

Yu grinned.

"Don't let her hear me saying this," he said, leaning in and lowering his voice considerably, "but you probably don't want to touch Nanako's cookies, either. Theyr'e…definitely full of love. I mean…she really put her heart into those cookies, but, uh…" He trailed off and shrugged.

"Love, huh?" Yosuke cast a dubious eye at the lumpy cookies. "Thanks for the heads up, partner. I'll stick to the stuff from Junes. At least I know it's safe."

"Oh, Yu!" From across the room, Dojima was signaling to them. "Do you have a moment? I don't think I've properly introduced you, yet."

Together, Yu and Yosuke hurried over to join Dojima, Naoto, and the two strangers.

"This is my nephew, Yu Narukami," said Dojima. "Oh, and this is his friend, Yosuke Hanamura."

The big sandy-haired man's smile broadened even more. "So, you're the famous 'Yu and Yosuke.' The terrible duo, huh? Dojima here talks about you all the time."

"Huh?" Yosuke blinked in surprise. "Wait, you mean, me too?"

He noted that the big man referred to Dojima without the respectful "san," and wondered if Dojima was actually the younger of the two. It was sort of hard to tell.

"Yu, Yosuke," continued Dojima, gesturing to the large man, "this is Detective Juro Togoshi."

"Hey," said Detective Togoshi. "It's a pleasure. Like I said, I've heard a lot about you already."

Togoshi's eyes danced, and Yosuke decided that he wasn't sure he really wanted to know what it was Dojima had been saying about him. Judging by the look on Togoshi's face, it was probably something his embarrassing, or maybe just damaging to his upstanding reputation.

"This here's my partner," Togoshi went on, "Detective Cho Yanase."

He nodded at the long-haired woman. She gave him an exasperated look.

"I'm not twelve, Juro," she told him. "I can introduce myself."

"Yeah, well," retorted Togoshi, still grinning, "You didn't, did you? I was sick of waiting for you to get around to it."

Yanase gave her partner a long-suffering sort of smile before returning her attention to Yu and Yosuke.

"It's very nice to meet you," she told them politely. "Welcome back to Inaba, Mr. Narukami."

Yu looked startled. "Oh, uh…really, just call me 'Yu.' Any friend of my uncle's is a friend of mine, Detective."

Yanase just gave him a small smile and a nod. "Thank you. You're very kind."

The conversation lagged awkwardly for a moment, and while Yosuke and Yanase both apparently floundered for something to say, Dojima stepped in to save the day.

"These guys are here to help out with the 'Black Butterfly' investigation," he informed Yu and Yosuke. "The Tokyo police department sent them over as 'special investigational support.' We're a little understaffed, at the moment, so I'm happy for the help."

"Hey, we're happy to be here," announced Togoshi. "Inaba's a nice place. It's relaxing. I like it! I hear you guys have had your fair share of excitement this year, though. It's a shame we missed out on all the fun!"

Although he kept smiling, the look on Dojima's face flickered for a moment. Yanase shot Togoshi a sharp look, and suddenly Togoshi's smile faded a little. He coughed, cleared his throat, and then muttered, "uh…yeah. Sorry about that. Nevermind what I said. Does anybody want another snack? Those cookies are looking awfully good…"

Before anyone had a chance to stop him, Togoshi had started over towards the table in the center of the room.

"Um, wait a sec," said Yosuke hastily, grabbing on to Yanase's arm before she could follow her partner. "Um…look, I mean this with all of the respect in the world, Detective, but…don't let him eat the cookies."

Yanase chuckled, and it was a low, dark, but not unpleasant sort of sound. "Don't worry," she assured Yosuke. "Juro has a stomach made of steel. He can eat anything…and he usually does. Thank you for the warning, though."

Once Yanase and Togoshi had both left, Dojima went over to check on Nanako, leaving Yosuke and Yu essentially alone.

"So," asked Yosuke, forcing himself to look and sound unconcerned. "How'd it go at the prison?"

Yu shrugged. "It…went. I mean, it was pretty much what you'd expect."

_That bad, huh? _Yosuke sighed and gritted his teeth. "Sorry, man."

"What? Why are you sorry?" Yu looked surprised. "It wasn't that bad. He's in good shape, actually. They're taking pretty decent care of him."

_Oh, _thought Yosuke. _In that case, it's not what I was expecting at all. No, maybe expecting isn't the word. Maybe I was just hoping they were treating that bastard just as badly as he deserves. _

"Anyway," Yu went on, "there's something I want to talk to you about. Actually, I'd like to talk to the others, too, but…it looks like they're all pretty busy at the moment."

Yosuke glanced around the room, and saw that all of his friends were engaged either in conversation, cooking, or competition over the TV game show.

"Sure," he said."What's up?"

"Let's go up to my room," suggested Yu. "Nanako and Uncle Dojima don't need to hear about this. I'd sort of rather they didn't know."

Together, they went upstairs into Yu's barely furnished little bedroom.

"I still have to get unpacked," he explained apologetically. "Like I said, I only got in last night, and I was pretty tired."

"If you want," suggested Yosuke, "I can help you out after school tomorrow. Chie and Yukiko'd probably be up for it, too."

"Thanks." Yu smiled. "I'd appreciate it. For the moment, though…here."

He rummaged through a box and managed to find a couple of cushions for him and Yosuke to sit on.

"Hey, man," said Yosuke, watching the worried look on his usually placid friend's face. "Seriously, what's going on? You're making me nervous. Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," admitted Yu, cryptically. "I think…maybe something's wrong. Something definitely doesn't feel right, anyway."

Yosuke raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't feel right? What's that supposed to mean?"

Yu frowned and shook his head.

"First of all," he said, "there's something you need to know. I really did miss you guys. I've wanted to come back every day since I left. That's…not the only reason that I decided to move back to Inaba, though. I think there still might be something that I have to do, here. If that's true, and if something bad is coming, then I know I won't be able to face it alone. I want you guys there with me, if you're willing."

"Oh. Okay..." Yosuke nodded hesitantly. "Keep talking, I'm listening."

"Thanks." Yu nodded. "I guess it all began about six months ago, when I had a dream about the Velvet Room."

"Wait, seriously?" Yosuke sat forward a little on his cushion. "You mean, the place where you get all of your personas from?"

"Right," agreed Yu. "Margaret was there, and so was Igor. They said something that I didn't quite understand…something about how 'one journey has ended, but another has only begun,' and 'one wild card must carve out a path for another's journey to start, or else only one story will be rewritten, while the other book closes forever.' Like I said, I didn't know what any of that meant, and I was just about to ask them when I turned around and…there she was."

Yosuke blinked. "She? Who's 'she?'"

"There was this girl," explained Yu. "She was this brown-haired girl with these unbelievable red eyes, and I swear that I've seen her somewhere before…only I can't remember where. I think she must have been someone really important to me, once, but no matter how hard I try, I can't figure out how I know her."

"Wait," interrupted Yosuke. "That's what this is all about? You had a dream about a pretty girl, and now you're freaking out? Dude, if I had five hundred yen for every time that I dreamed about a cute girl, I'd-!"

"No," insisted Yu. "It wasn't like that at all. It wasn't that kind of a dream. It's just that I'm sure I know her, and that I think she might be in trouble. When I saw her that night in the Velvet Room, she looked...no, she _felt _really sick. "

"You…felt her?" Yosuke raised an eyebrow.

Yu shot him a look. "Stop messing around, I'm being serious."

"Sorry," muttered Yosuke. "I'm listening, seriously."

"I think," continued Yu, "that there's something about this girl and me. I think our destinies are linked, somehow, and that if something terrible is happening to her, I can't just turn away and pretend that it's not my problem. You know what I mean?"

Yosuke thought about Saki Konishi, and about the very first time that he'd asked Yu to help him and not to turn away from the truth.

"Yeah," he said, nodding slowly. "I understand. What do you want to do?"

Yu shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "I went to the Velvet Room today, after visiting the prison. I asked Igor and Margaret about that girl, but they wouldn't tell me anything. The only thing I know for sure is her name."

"You got her name? Oh, well, that's good." Yosuke nodded. "I mean, that'll probably help us find her, if she's…you know, real, and human. What's her name?"

"Minako," said Yu. "She said her name was Minako Arisato."

_Minako Arisato, _thought Yosuke, and suddenly he knew without being able to explain how that he'd heard that name and had maybe seen her face somewhere before. He felt like her face was hovering somewhere there, at the back of his brain, just out of reach, and that if he only thought hard enough about it, he'd be able to see her.

"Uh," he said. "Yeah…um. Yeah, that…that does ring a few bells. Weird…"

"So," insisted Yu, "then, you'll help me find her?"

"Huh? Of course I'll help." Yosuke frowned. "Were you worried about it? Dude, we're partners. We're a team. If you're in, I'm in. Seriously, there's not a lot you could ask that I'd say no to."

"Oh, yeah?" Suddenly, a mischievous sort of look came into Yu's eyes, and he started to smile. "In that case, I'm going downstairs and I'm going to taste that casserole that Yukiko and Chie made. You coming?"

Yosuke sighed. "Oh man, now you're abusing the privilege…"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **Time for honesty..I'm not totally sure what I want to write next. Do I want to add one more chapter to this story, or do I want to jump straight into the next one? I don't know. It will require some thought. Please stay tuned, and I'll have an update of some kind ready later today.


	33. Drive Out Darkness - Chapter Five

**Author's Note: **Yeah, let's definitely finish this episode before we move on to another one. Keep it simple, Ari.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

The next day after school, Yosuke and the others all met up at Junes, just like they had in the old times.

"Thanks for coming, everybody," said Yu, seating himself at the head of the table and smiling around at all of his friends. "I'm sorry to start out the semester on such a serious note, especially since I just got back, but here's something I'd like to talk to you all about. Or, no…actually, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Of course, senpai." Naoto nodded. "As a matter of fact, there's a request that I'd like to put to all of you as well, if you don't mind."

"Is that so?" Yu frowned. "Well, in that case, Naoto, why don't you go first?"

"Are you certain?" Naoto paused for a moment, then cleared her throat and turned to face the others at the table. "Well, thank you. I'll be brief. You are all, I take it, sufficiently familiar with the new street drug, presently being referred to colloquially as 'Black Butterfly,' correct?"

"Oh, yeah." Chie bit her lip. "That stuff. Man…I feel like that's all anybody ever talks about these days. It's getting to be kind of a big deal."

"Yes," sighed Yukiko. "I'm getting tired of it. I never thought the fad would last this long."

"I'm afraid it's becoming more than just a fad," returned Naoto. "Use of the drug appears to be more widespread than we had originally realized. What's more, there is some indication that the side effects of use are quite severe. I'm sure you've all noticed that several students have been absent from class recently."

"Well…yeah," agreed Yosuke. "It's the beginning of the semester, though. People are probably still sleeping in and blowing off class after summer break. At least…that's what I thought was happening. Are you saying it's actually got something to do with this drug?"

Naoto nodded. "The police are at least considering that as a viable possibility. We have reason to believe that prolonged use of the drug can cause intense fatigue, damage to the lungs, and a higher susceptibility to illness. We'd like to look into these side effects further, and to that end a renowned pathologist has been summoned to Inaba by the police. He will make efforts to study the potency of the drug, and the police intend to use his findings to begin a media campaign opposing the sale and use of this 'Black Butterfly.'"

"Wow," exclaimed Rise. "That's pretty cool. Wait, how did the little Inaba police department manage to get hold of a famous scientist? I didn't think your uncle had that kind of clout, senpai."

"As I understand it," replied Naoto, "The pathologist in question is a personal friend of Detective Togoshi."

"Oh," muttered Kanji "Well, that explains it. Must be nice, having friends in high places."

"Indeed," said Naoto." There is, however, a slight problem with the plan. As of yet, no one in the police department has managed to successfully obtain a viable sample of Black Butterfly. The policemen of this town are well known, and no one seems willing either to discuss the drug or to sell to them."

"Right," sighed Yosuke. "Sure…that makes sense. After all, using drugs is illegal, right? There's no way anybody would let on to the police."

Naoto shook her head. "At present, there is no ban on the production or use of Black Butterfly. Outside of Inaba, almost no one seems to have heard of it. Through their efforts, the police department hopes to set legislation in motion, but first we must face the more immediate problem of preventing our town from falling victim to drug-related illness. Rumors spread quickly in Inaba, and subsequently, so has the sale of Black Butterfly. The situation is becoming a far more dire one than we had at first expected."

"Jeez," mumbled Chie. "This sounds bad…really bad! We gotta do something!"

"Uh…is there something we can do?" Kanji looked doubtful. "Like, I'm with you, Chie-senpai. We gotta crush this 'Black Butterfly' monster at the source, but…how are we supposed to do that? I'm…kinda out of ideas."

As they always did when they were at a loss for what to do next, everyone looked at Yu.

"Well, Naoto?" Yu raised an eyebrow. "What do you need us to do?"

Naoto gave Yu a polite little nod. "Thank you, Yu-senpai. I'm glad you asked. As a matter of fact, there is one particular task that I believe only we are capable of undertaking. As I am working alongside the police for the duration of their investigation into 'Black Butterfly,' they have ordered me to retrieve a sample of the drug for the pathologist to study. There is, after all, at least one individual at our school who might be referred to as a 'dealer,' or a seller of the substance in question. Unfortunately…I doubt that I'll be able to fulfill the police department's request. After all, I'm not unknown in this town, either. Most people are aware of my close association with the police. No dealer would be likely to sell me any substance that he wishes to keep secret from the police."

"Oh, I get it," said Yosuke slowly. "So then, Naoto-kun, you want us to buy it…right?"

"Oh." Yukiko frowned. "I see. Yes…that does make sense."

"Oooh, sounds exciting!" Teddie narrowed his eyes, and did his best to make himself look mysterious. "A secret covert mission, conducted on behalf of justice for the sake of saving the town! This smells like a job for…secret agent Teddie!"

"Don't even think about it," snapped Yosuke immediately. "You'd probably just end up using my money anyway, and I can't afford that stuff."

"Yeah," agreed Kanji. "I mean…that shit's expensive, isn't it? I'm pretty sure I don't have the cash."

"Well," mused Yukiko, "I suppose that if we all pooled our funds together, we'd be able to come up with enough money. After all, this does sound important."

Everyone began chattering among themselves about different ways that they might be able to come up with enough money to afford a bottle of Black Butterfly.

"That won't be necessary," interrupted Naoto, holding up a hand to quiet them. "Naturally, I have already been provided with sufficient finds by the police. We'll be using those funds to purchase the drug. You won't have to demolish your personal savings."

"Phew," sighed Rise. "That's a relief. I spent too much at Croco Fur last week…I doubt I'd be good for it."

"Uh, hey," muttered Kanji. "Aren't you a famous idol? You gotta be rolling in cash."

Rise shot him an offended look. "Kanji," she said, "it's rude to ask someone about that sort of thing. That's really personal."

"Uh…" Kanji looked taken aback. "Sorry, I guess. Wait, I'm pretty sure that everybody knows idols make more money than the rest of us. That's…not exactly personal."

Naoto gazed around the table at her friends. "Are we agreed, then? You would be doing a great favor for the police, and I know that I can count on each and every one of you to be discreet."

"Well…yes, I guess so." Yukiko didn't look very happy. "I'm a little worried, though. What if one of the customers sees me talking to the dealer? Just as you say, Naoto-kun, rumors spread very quickly in this town. It might be very bad for our inn if someone were to see me getting involved with street drugs."

"Yeah," agreed Kanji. "Damn, Ma would be so pissed if she heard about me doing something like that."

"It might be really bad for my career," mused Rise. "Don't get me wrong, Naoto-kun…I think we should definitely do it. I just think we should be suuuuper careful to make sure that nobody finds out."

"I'll do it," announced Yu. "There's no chance of my getting in trouble. After all, Uncle Dojima's in on the plan."

Naoto looked pleased, but Yosuke frowned and shook his head.

"Nah," he insisted "Not a good idea. Yu, your uncle's in the police. The dealer'd probably be pretty wary about selling to you. Let me do it."

"Yosuke?" Chie looked startled. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Yosuke nodded. "Look, there are plenty of rumors going around about me, anyway. Ever since I moved here, there have been rumors. After all, I'm 'that Junes kid,' remember? Anyway, if my parents start freaking out, Dojima-san'll explain, maybe. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me."

Everyone looked a little impressed.

"Wow, Yosuke," remarked Chie. "You're sure growing up, huh?"

"What?" Yosuke glared at her. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"You have my gratitude," murmured Naoto. "I believe that we can procure a sample of the drug tomorrow, after school is out. I've seen this dealer lurking around the school gate several times. If we hurry after class, we're likely to find him waiting there."

"Just like yesterday, huh?" Chie nodded. "Okay…then, in that case, I'm going, too. You know, just in case things get weird, or whatever. You can count on me, Yosuke!"

She grinned and punched one fist enthusiastically into the air.

Yosuke smiled back at her. He actually did feel a little bit better. "Cool, Chie. Thanks."

Naoto just nodded. "Very well. In that case, I believe it is our leader's turn to talk."

She turned to look at Yu, but he waved that away with one impatient hand.

"I'm not your 'leader,' anymore," h e reminded them.

Chie snorted a laugh. "Um, yeah, you are. I mean…look, let's face it. I don't think it matters if we're fighting or not. You're always gonna be a leader to me!"

"You're a leader of men, senpai," agreed Kanji. "A real role model, you know?"

"You're my hero, sensei!" Teddie's eyes twinkled, and began to fill with tears.

Yu shot Yosuke an exasperated look. Yosuke just shrugged and tried not to laugh.

"Well…anyway," Yu went on, shaking his head. "Yeah, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about. I already explained most of it to Yosuke last night at the party, but…I think you should all hear it."

As the others all listened with rapt attention and increasingly incredulous looks on their faces, Yu began describing the event that had taken place six months ago in the Velvet Room. He told them about the strange, incomprehensible warning that Margaret and Igor had given him and about the weirdly familiar girl that he'd seen only for a moment before she'd disappeared without a trace.

"Minako," muttered Kanji aloud." Minako, huh? Yeah…yeah, now that you mention it, senpai, that does sound kinda familiar. Then again…it's not a super unusual name."

"Still," murmured Yukiko, "I think I know what you mean, Yu-kun. I do feel like she's someone I know…like I've met her before, somewhere. It's so strange…"

"Bizarre familiarities aside," remarked Naoto, "it sounds as though this individual is of some great significance to you, senpai. Her sudden appearance in your Velvet Room is unlikely to have been a coincidence; even Igor and Margaret seem to have thought so. I can't help but feel that we're going to meet her again, someday soon."

Yu started in his chair. "What did you say?"

Naoto looked surprised. "I…nothing. I only said that I felt it likely that you and this Minako Arisato are likely to meet again, someday."

"Yes," agreed Yu slowly. "That's what she said…or, no, maybe it's what I said."

He frowned, looked as though he was going to say something else, then stopped and shook his head.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm…I guess I'm still a little confused about the whole thing. I feel like there's something I'm supposed to remember; something that's right on the tip of my brain, but that I can't quite grasp. It's been driving me crazy for months, ever since I met her."

"I'm not sure I like where this is going," mumbled Rise to Yukiko in an undertone. "What's he getting so excited about? It's just some girl. Why is our senpai so worked up about her? Do you think she's prettier than us?"

"I…don't think it's like that," replied Yukiko uncomfortably.

"It better not be," retorted Rise unhappily.

"Anyway," Yu went on, taking a deep breath, "I think we should focus on solving Naoto's problem first. Let's get some of this Black Butterfly stuff, and see what we can do to help out my uncle and the police department. That's probably a lot more important, right now."

"Yeah," agreed Chie. "I think so, too."

"When we've done that, though," continued Yu, "I'd like your help trying to find this girl. I have a feeling that when we find her, we'll find another problem to solve. I hate dragging you into another mess, especially so soon after what happened last year, but I-!"

"Don't say another word, Yu-kun." Chie just shook her head. "What are you talking about? You're not dragging us into anything. We're a team! Where you go, we all go, right? Besides, something does seem kind of weird about this. I want to know more about this 'Minako' person, too."

Around the table, everyone nodded and mumbled their agreement. Even Rise managed a smile.

"You can count us in, senpai," she said. "So, who's ready for some new adventures?"

**Fin.**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

Yep. Now THAT is the end of the story.

We're going to change perspectives again, in a bit. This is getting a little complicated, but it won't get too out of hand.

…I promised myself not to bite off more than I can chew, this time.


	34. A Friend in Darkness - Chapter One

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the delay. This is a busy week for me,so I may only be able to update a couple of times, but I'll give it a try, at least. I've got a late start at work tomorrow, so tonight I can stay up late and write.

Oh…and by the way, I figured out how to turn on "Auto M**a**pping" on Persona Q. It's making life…a lot easier. I may actually get through this game after all…

But I won't like it. I don't have to like it. Hmph.

* * *

**Sixth Story:**

**A Friend in the Darkness**

_Walking with a friend in the darkness is better than walking alone in the light. _

Helen Keller

* * *

**Chapter One – September 4, 2012**

Very early on that first real brisk autumn morning, ten people climbed off of the passenger train that traveled from Tatsumi Port Island all the way to Yasoinaba.

They stood out, and were dressed very strangely for the fall weather. It wasn't really that cold yet, but all ten people were bundled up in heavy coats, hats, gloves and scarves. They huddled together, coughing into their coat sleeves and shivering, clutching at suitcases and bags that were hidden up under their coats as the train pulled away, bound, most likely, for some other small and insignificant town.

"Are we all present? Mitsuru looked around at the rest of her former team members. "Good. We seem to have arrived without incident. This, then, must be the fabled country resort town of Inaba."

She frowned uncertainly around at the little train station.

"Resort town? Hah!" Junpei snorted a derisive little laugh. "You gotta be kidding me. Seriously, if you looked up 'the boonies' on a map, I'm pretty sure you'd get a picture of this place. Why the hell'd we come all the way out to this dump again?"

Mitsuru sighed in exasperation. "We're here to see an old friend…or rather, an acquaintance of my father's. I received word from a colleague that Dr. Hiromi Kita was planning a brief stay in Inaba, and I set up meeting with her for all of us. Dr. Kita is a world-renowned pathologist, and she is slightly less well-known as a leading expert on shadows and their effect on the human psyche. She and my father once strove together to fight the shadows and to end the Dark Hour. When I contacted her and described our situation, she was more than eager to be of assistance. I have not, of course, seen her in many years. As a matter of fact, I haven't spoken to her since before most of you joined our team."

"Seriously?" Junpei's eyes widened. "So, like…she's gonna come up with some kinda antidote for this soul fusion crap?"

"Don't get your hopes up," muttered Shinjiro. "The doctors back home couldn't find anything. What makes you think this woman's gonna be able to do any better?"

"I don't know," admitted Mitsuru, "but we'd be foolish not to take advantage of her offer to try."

"Tch," muttered Shinjiro. "Whatever you say."

Minako fumbled a bit under her coat until she managed to get her hand free. She reached out and squeezed Shinjiro's hand. He just looked at her in silence for a moment, then took a furtive look around at the others before taking her hand and warming it in both of his.

"You look like you're freezing," he mumbled.

Akihiko chuckled under his breath, and Shinjiro flushed a bit, shot Akihiko a dirty look, and instantly dropped Minako's hand. Minako tried not to smile.

"Anything and everything is worth trying," she said. "I think it's a great idea, senpai."

Mitsuru turned to Minako and smiled.

"Right," agreed Junpei. "So…where do we go from here?"

"There is an inn here," said Mitsuru, "which I understand is very pleasant."

"Oh, yeah!" Minako nodded. "The Amagi Inn. I've been there before…with my volleyball team. You guys are going to love it. There are definitely some faces that come out of the walls at night, but-!"

"EEK!" Yukari turned white. "Wh-why would you tell me that? I'm not going to love it, I'm going to hate it, now! I won't be able to sleep at all!"

"Aw, but it'll be fun to sit around telling scary stories, won't it?" Minako shot Junpei a quick wink. "What about you, Junpei? Are you up for some good ghost stories?"

Junpei grinned back at her. "Oh," he said, "you know me. Any chance to scare the crap out of Yuka-tan, and I'm there."

"Sometimes," muttered Yukari, glaring at them, "I hate you both. Mostly you, Stupei. Minako, I thought you were on MY side!"

Mitsuru chuckled. "Oh, don't worry, Yukari. It was thanks to your efforts that we have successfully estasblished; there really are no such thing as ghosts."

Yukari sighed. "Senpai, not you, too. Oh well. Let's just get going.

As they started down the street and towards the entrance to the town, Minako heard Junpei mutter something under his breath.

"Yeah," he said, to himself. "Sure, ghosts don't exist. Demon gods, though…those are real, apparently. Man, Yuka-tan, you're worrying about the wrong stuff."

All of a sudden, he noticed that Minako was watching him.

"Uh," he stammered, "N-no, it's nothing. Forget it. I never said anything. Sorry."

Minako kept smiling, but her heart sank a little bit.

They trudged on for a while, through a sleepy town full of cozy little shops and essentially deserted roadways.

"Wow, senpai," exclaimed Ken, grabbing hold of Akihiko's shoulder and pointing excitedly across the street. "Do you see that? 'Daidara's Artistic Metalworks,' it says! Metalworks, huh? You think we could find some cool weapons in there? Look at that huge armor plate in the window! That's big enough for Shinjiro-senpai, even."

"Tch," muttered Shinjiro. "Who needs armor? I never let 'em get that close."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko. "I'm with Shinji. The best defense is a good offense."

"Uh…is that the right way to say it?" Ken sounded uncertain. "I think maybe you got that the wrong way, senpai…"

Eventually, they came to a large and well-kept residence that could only have been the notable Amagi Inn.

"Oh my," murmured Fuuka. "This looks so pleasant. I think I really am going to enjoy my time here."

"Arf," agreed Koromaru eagerly.

Mitsuru frowned at him. "Ah," she murmured. "Now that I think about it, perhaps I should have inquired as to their policy on pets."

Koromaru looked surprised, and his ears went down as he whimpered pathetically.

"I am sorry," protested Mitsuru, "but I really don't think of you as a pet, Koromaru. You're one of our number. The question really didn't occur to me until just now."

"Eh," said Junpei, "I'm sure it'll be fine. Hey, are we going in? I'm beat….I could use a nap."

He sounded just like his usual upbeat self, but out of the corner of her eye, Minako noticed him shivering.

"Yeah," agreed Ken, nodding and yawning." Me too, Junpei-san. I…um, ah-CHOO!"

Ken sneezed dramatically, and Akihiko rested a manly hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Akihiko said. "Let's all get to our rooms and get some rest. We've had a long trip, after all."

Without waiting for a response from the others, he pulled open the big front door and strode inside, only to be faced with a quaint sort of makeshift front desk that looked as though it had once been someone's grandmother's bureau.

"Uh, hey," he said to the girl behind the counter. "You guys got a reservation for ten? What name are we using, Mitsuru? Yours?"

"I'm Mitsuru Kirijo," announced Mitsuru, taking a step forward and gently elbowing Akihiko out of the way. "We planned to check in an hour ago, but I'm afraid that our train was slightly delayed. My apologies."

"Oh, it's no trouble," said the dark-haired young woman behind the counter. She had her nose buried in a textbook, and it took her a moment to give them her full attention. "Your rooms have already been fully prepared. Welcome to the Amagai Inn, Miss Kirijo. My name is Yukiko Amagi, and I hope…"

Looking up at them at last, she gave them a quick, welcoming smile, and then suddenly stopped, her face freezing into a sort of confused, wide-eyed expression.

"You're…" She frowned, bit her lip, and then shook her head. "I'm terribly sorry. Is it…I mean, have we ever met before?"

Minako was certain that she'd at least seen this Yukiko somewhere. The longer she stared at the dark-haired girl, the more she got the strange and uncanny sense that they'd known each other, perhaps a long time ago. It was the same odd sensation she'd felt when she'd run into that man, Yu Narukami, in the Velvet Room.

"Y-yes," murmured Mitsuru, startled and staring. "I…suppose it is possible. Yes, we must have encountered one another at some point, perhaps in the course of business. I'm sorry…I'm afraid I've forgotten the circumstances."

"No," insisted Yukiko hurriedly. "It's all right. Um…shall I show you all to your rooms? Right this way, please. Watch your step – one of the waitresses spilled some sake on the stairs earlier, so it might be a little bit slippery, still."

As Yukiko led them slowly up to the second floor, Yukari leaned over to whisper in Minako's ear.

"Senpai's right," she hissed. "That Amagi girl really DOES look familiar. Where do you think we've seen her before? Is this place that famous? Maybe she's been on TV."

"I think she's the same girl that I met the last time I was here," said Minako. "Wow, she's changed a lot, though. I guess she was probably only in middle school a few years ago when I was here for the fellowship. She was pretty then, too. Now she's beautiful!"

"Right?" Yukari looked impressed. "I'm a little jealous, actually…"

"Here we are," announced Yukiko, stopping in the center of the hallway. "All of the rooms on this floor are yours. Um, you really don't have to worry about being quiet in the hallways or respecting the other guests, because it's just you all up here, so…I sincerely hope you enjoy your stay! If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call down to the front desk."

She smiled, gave them a neat little bow with her hands folded in front of her, and then hurried back towards the stairwell, casting a quick, curious glance over her shoulder at them as she went.

"Wow," said Junpei. "She was…I mean, there's nothing wrong with the ladies here, let's put it that way."

Akihiko nodded. "I agree."

"Um…why did I have a feeling you'd say something like that?" Fuuka sighed. "Junpei…I guess some things never change."

"What?" Junpei started to look offended, then gave up and shrugged it off. "Eh, whatever. I can't deny it. I'm a guy, through and through."

"You didn't have to tell us," muttered Shinjiro. "We noticed."

Fuuka giggled, then quickly stifled her laughter.

"Uh, anyway," said Junpei, "should we divvy up the rooms? It's cool that we get a whole floor to ourselves. How many people can fit in one space?"

"Each room has two beds," Mitsuru informed him. "That means we'll split up into partners."

"If no one objects," announced Aigis, "then I would like to stay with Minako-chan. It is some time since we have had a chance to talk. I would enjoy the opportunity."

Minako smiled, and was about to say that she loved that idea when Junpei shot her a mischievous look and suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, uh, are you sure, Ai-chan?" He faked a frown. "See, I sorta got the sense that Shinjiro-senpai wanted the spot in Minako's room."

Shinjiro's eyes went wide, and he gaped at Junpei, his face turning bright red.

"Wh-what the hell?" He almost choked on the words as he stammered them out. "That's…!"

"Oh!" Yukari looked startled, and she, too, turned a little pink. "W-well, I didn't…um, no, n-nevermind! Um, I was gonna ask if I could room with Minako, but if that's the case, then, uh…Mitsuru-senpai? Is it okay with you if we share a room?"

Mitsuru nodded. "Yes, of course. I look forward to it."

She and Yukari exchanged quick smiles.

"I see," murmured Aigis. "Well, if Minako-chan's rooming partner has already been decided, then perhaps Fuuka-chan would be kind enough to share a room with me."

"Oh, yes please," agreed Fuuka quickly. "It'll be fun! Thanks, Aigis!"

"Whoa," began Shinjiro, starting to sweat." Hey, I never said-!"

"Aw, come on, Shinji," teased Akihiko, grinning maliciously at him. "Are you gonna man up and go for it, or what?"

Shinjiro shot Akihiko a deadly glare." Just for that," he muttered, "I'm not gonna even ask to room with you. Come on, Ken. Let's grab the big room on the end before any of these clowns get it."

Without looking to see if Ken was following him, Shinjiro started for the largest of the rooms.

"Huh? Me?" Ken hesitated for a moment, then hurried to catch up. "Oh, okay! Um…Shinjiro-senpai, do you watch TV before bed? Do you, uh, mind if I do? There's this one show on tonight, and…um, actually, n-nevermind. Forget it."

As Shinjiro and Ken made for their own room, Akihiko turned around and shrugged.

"Oh well," he said. "So, who does that leave me with?"

"WOOF!" Koromaru jumped up and placed both paws on Akihiko's chest.

"Hah, you want to be room partners, Koro-chan?" Akihiko looked amused. "Do you even need a bed? Dogs can just sleep on the floor, right?"

Koromaru gave Akihiko what could only be described as a disappointed look, and then barked authoritatively.

"Okay, okay." Akihiko threw up his hands in defeat. "It'll be you and me, then. After all, a dog is supposed to be a man's best friend."

Fuuka frowned. "But, wait," she began. "If we're all paired up already, then that only leaves…"

They all turned to look at Minako and Junpei, who were still standing unattached in the center of the room.

Minako glanced over at Junpei, who waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. She stifled a laugh, then punched him none-too-gently in the shoulder.

"Ack," grunted Junpei. "Jeez, I was only kidding."

"It's fine," said Minako. "This works out well, actually."

"Yeah," agreed Junpei, rubbing absently at his shoulder. "No problem. After all, this way we can tell ghost stories and nobody's gonna get too freaked out….right, Yuka-tan?"

They turned around and started heading towards the nearest door.

"I..don't know how I feel about this," murmured Mitsuru uncertainly. "A man and a woman sharing rooms…this is hardly conventional, and perhaps ill-advised."

Yukari shook her head." No way," she insisted. "Are you guys sure about this? Minako, aren't you worried that he's gonna do something weird? He is 'a guy through and through,' after all. Your words, Junpei, not mine!"

"Aw, come on," insisted Junpei.

"I'm not worried about it," Minako reassured her.

They looked at each other, shook their heads, and then turned back to face the group.

"It's not like that," they said together, before turning around again and opening the door to their new room.

Out of the corner of her eye, Minako thought she could see Shinjiro staring at them with his mouth half-open and his eyes so wide they might bug right out of his head.

_He has no right to get touchy about this, _she thought. _After all, he had a chance and he didn't take it!_

As she closed the door behind her, she giggled a little bit to herself. Junpei snorted a laugh, and just shook his head.

"Shinjiro-senpai's gonna beat the shit out of me," he said. "Man...the look on his face was so great, though. Did you see it?"

"He won't beat you up," Minako assured Junpei. "I won't let him. I can take him. You'll see."

Falling back on the bed, Junpei put his feet up and crossed his arms behind his head.

"Yep," he agreed. "I don't doubt it, Mina-tan! Not for a second. So…they got anything to eat around her? I'm starving!"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **I'm going to use this author's note to address a question that I bet many of you are going to have.

"But Ari," you say. "The last time we saw these characters, they had just realized tha they were all going to die! They were miserable! Shinjiro tried to kill himself to save the rest o them! Why are they joking around so much, now?"

Well, it's been more than six months since they found out that they were going to die. Sure, it's still on all of their minds, but as all human beings do, they've learned to go on with their lives as best they can. Of course, this story's still gonna be dark, and the whole reason they're in Inaba is to face their impending doom, but as we learned from the scenes in P3 and P3P, these guys have a hard time staying down and miserable for long.

Don't worry; you'll get plenty of dark and miserable soon enough.


	35. A Friend in Darkness - Chapter Two

**Author's Note:** …screw this. I hate this game. This is the worst game in the whole world. I will never play it again. I take back everything I said before about trying to include it.

*throws Persona Q into a nearby dumpster and moves on with her life*

In other news, in my part of the world it is currently 2 degrees outside.

I can't…I think my brain is starting to die. Someone send help or hot chocolate, please.

If I freeze to death here, and if I turn into an Ari-cicle, there is only one thing I really want you all to know.

If you are wondering whether or not it was nice to know you…I tell you now that it was.

* * *

**Chapter Two**

The next morning Minako woke up, opened her eyes, and then immediately felt a wave of vaguely nauseating lethargy wash over her. She couldn't bring herself to move, and felt dizzy and miserable as she changed position, curled up, and shut her eyes again.

As she dozed off, she was only vaguely aware of the sound of slamming doors and idle chatter in the hallway outside her room.

_I hope everyone else is all right, _she managed to think before sleep came flooding back. _I hope they're feeling better than I am. It sounds like everyone else is having fun, at least…that's nice. That's…that's good. _

Then, mercifully, she passed out again.

Some time after that, she woke up again feeling groggy and strange, but a lot less sick. This time, she managed to get herself out of bed, and when she stood up, she didn't feel dizzy or faint.

_That was weird, _she thought. _Must be one of those illnesses that's worst when you first get up. Maybe I let myself sleep too late…or maybe I had an awful nightmare that I just can't remember. Could be anything._

Junpei had already left, apparently, although he obviously hadn't bothered to make his bed. Minako wondered if poor Yukiko would end up having to do it, and she took the time to at least throw the covers back over and straighten out the cushion before leaving the room.

When she opened the door to the hallway and made to leave the bedroom, she almost stepped on Shinjiro who was, inexplicably, sitting cross-legged in front of her bedroom door.

"Oh," he said, hurriedly getting to his feet and not even trying to meet her eyes." Uh…morning."

"Morning," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Um…what are you doing? I almost hit you with the door. You should be more careful."

"It's fine," insisted Shinjiro, shrugging that off and apparently trying to pretend that his ears weren't turning pink. Without bothering to answer her question, he leaned a bit awkwardly against the door frame, failed completely to look casual or collected, and asked, "Hey, you, uh, got any plans for the rest of the day?"

"Today?" Minako frowned and shook her head." No. Where's everyone else?"

"They already left," replied Shinjiro, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the stairwell. "They all said they wanted to take a look at the town, so they're out exploring and probably making asses of themselves all over the place, or something."

"But," noted Minako, "you're not. You stuck around. Were you waiting for me?"

Shinjiro rubbed uncomfortably at the back of his neck. "Didn't feel much like going out this morning, that's all," he muttered defensively.

Minako grinned at him.

"Anyway," he went on quickly, scowling at his feet, "I'm getting bored just laying around my room. You wanna go somewhere?"

"Yeah,' agreed Minako. "That sounds like fun. I want to go exploring, too!"

"I thought you'd been here before," said Shinjiro. "What's to explore?"

"Oh, I only ever really saw the high school," she informed him, "and this inn. Other than that, I haven't been around much. It'll be an adventure!"

"An adventure, huh?" Shinjiro rolled his eyes, but he started to smile. "Don't get your hopes up. This place doesn't look like much. Based on what we saw from the train, there ain't too much to do around here."

"We'll find something," Minako assured him. "Come on, Shinji. Let's go!"

He looked faintly pleased and a little embarrassed, the same way he always did when she said his name out loud.

"All right," he said. "Guess I'll follow your lead. Where do you want to go?"

Taking Shinjiro firmly by the hand, Minako led him down the steps and through the main lobby of the Amagi Inn.

"Oh, are you going out?" Yukiko called to them from behind the counter. "I hope you enjoy your time in our town! Take care!"

As they headed out onto the street, Minako was conscious of Yukiko watching them curiously. She could feel Yukiko's eyes on her back until they were several paces down the road and away from the Inn.

"There's something weird about that girl," muttered Shinjiro. "Can't quite place what it is, but…"

He trailed off, looking annoyed.

"Weird?" Minako gave him a mischievous little grin. "Don't you think she's attractive?"

"Huh?" Shinjiro frowned." Uh…I guess?" He shrugged. "Didn't really notice. Anyway, I don't think that's it."

"Seriously?" Minako laughed. "You didn't notice? I thought all the guys were ogling her when we came in, yesterday."

Shinjiro shot Minako a sharp look, then quickly dropped his eye away again.

"Said I didn't notice," he insisted under his breath. "I don't look at girls much. Everything I need to see's right here, anyway."

Minako was startled, and deeply touched. "Aw, Shinji. I think you actually just said something romantic. I wasn't sure you had it in you."

Shinjiro just glared at the ground. "Shut up," he snarled

Minako smiled.

"A-anyway," he went on, obviously trying to regain a little bit of his dignity, "it's like I always said. Girls are nothing but trouble."

"Except me, of course," added Minako.

Shinjiro snorted a quick, exasperated laugh. "Nah, trust me," he said, shaking his head. "You're plenty of trouble."

**Meanwhile, at Tatsumi Textiles…**

Yukari, Mitsuru and Aigis were walking around the town, enjoying some shopping at the little local mom-and-pop stores littered around the shopping district.

"This town is quaint," remarked Mitsuru, "but the work here is undoubtedly beautiful." She gently and deftly fingered the hem of a beautiful kimono that was hanging on a mannekin against the wall. "This is exquisite. I'm afraid that I'm no use when it comes to sewing, myself."

"You?" Yukari laughed and shook her head. "What do you need to sew for, senpai? You've got maids to do that kind of thing for you!"

"And your clothes are always so lovely," murmured Fuuka. "You always look so put together."

Mitsuru frowned. "You're very kind," she murmured, "but it is a little embarrassing that I must rely so much on others for the nice things that I've been privileged to own all my life I would like to acquire some kind of handiwork skill. I'm afraid I just haven't the knack, however. Perhaps if I'd started at a young age..."

Fuuka sighed. "I'm not sure that starting young really helps," she said. "My mother tried teaching me to sew when I was a little girl, but I was terrible at it. And it's not that I'm not good with my hands! I mean…" She flushed slightly, but kept going anyway. "I can put complicated technological equipment together. The fine detail work isn't the problem. Oh, well."

"I'm with you guys," agreed Yukari. "I can't even fix a button. Last week, I had to ask Shinjiro-senpai to sew one of my coat buttons back on when it popped off. I…really need to start running again."

"Shinjiro-senpai should have been born a woman," noted Fuuka, giggling. "He'd be a better wife than any of us."

Mitsuru just smiled. "I'll advise you not to let Shinjiro hear you say that," she admonished.

At that moment, the shop owner emerged from the back room and took her place behind the counter. She was an older woman with graying hair, dressed in an incredibly beautiful garment that echoed the skill Mitsuru had noticed in the lovely kimono she'd just been admiring.

"Oh, please forgive me," murmured the shop owner. "I didn't hear you come in. Is there something that I can help you young ladies with?"

"Good afternoon," said Mitsuru, bowing slightly. "And..no, thank you very much. We're only looking around at your beautiful handiwork. May I say that some of the garments you've placed on display are truly remarkable."

She glanced over at the kimono and the shop owner smiled.

"Oh, do you mean that kimono? Yes, it is rather lovely, isn't it? My son Kanji made that with his own two hands." Turning, she called over her shoulder into the back room. "Kanji! Kanji, we have customers! They like your kimono. Do come out and say hello."

From the back of the shop, Mitsuru heard a loud rustling sound, followed by heavy footsteps an a thudding noise.

"Damnit, Ma," grumbled an angry male voice. "I'm trying to study, for cryin' out loud. Can't you deal with the shop on your own for five minutes? You gettin' old, or something?"

A study-looking young man with thick dark hair and glasses emerged from the back room, swinging a heavy textbook at his side.

"Hey," he grunted. "You guys looking for anything in particular…?"

All of a sudden, his eyes went wide, and he stared at them for a moment with his mouth hanging open.

"Whoa," he muttered. "Uh…"

"Kanji," snapped his mother, looking scandalized. "Close your mouth. It's incredibly rude to stare at girls like that."

"Wha…huh?" Kanji blinked, frowned, then shook his head aggressively. "Nah, it's…it's not like that at all! That's not what I meant, uh…"

"Hey," whispered Yukari, leaning over to get close to Mitsuru's ear." Doesn't he look sort of familiar? It's the weirdest thing, but I think I've seen him before, somewhere. That Yukiko girl at the inn, too. Isn't that weird? I KNOW I've never been to Inaba before, but…I just can't shake this feeling. Maybe this is some kinda of creepy 'déjà vu,' or something. Like…maybe it's true what they say, about the people you meet in your past lives. You never really forget about them."

"Um, past lives?" Fuuka looked dubious. "Is that…something that really happens?"

Mitsuru, too, was conscious of the same strange feeling that she'd experienced the previous evening when they'd first met the girl at the Amagi Inn. She'd been certain, then, that she'd seen that young woman somewhere before, and she was equally certain that this wasn't the firs time she'd encountered this angry young man.

"N-nah," stammered Kanji, slamming the textbook down on the counter and scratching unhappily at the top of his head. "Forget it, it's nothing. Anyway, what was it you guys wanted?"

"We were just admiring your beautiful kimono," Mitsuru managed. "The craftsmanship is exquisite. You've chosen an excellent design, as well. My compliments to the creator."

Kanji looked startled. Unexpectedly, he blushed and started to grin.

"Thanks," he said, much more politely than before. "I'm glad you like it. Can't say there's a lot of call for fancy-dress like that around here, but…uh…it was fun. Fun to make, I mean."

"I think it'd be really fun to learn to sew," announced Fuuka. "We were all just talking about how none of us are any good at it, though. Um, I don't suppose you sell any beginners pattern books?"

"How about something like 'sewing for dummies,'" suggested Yukari. "That's…probably more our speed."

"Huh? Nah, books aren't gonna help you." Kanji shook his head. "If you're really hopeless, reading about what somebody else did ain't gonna do shit."

"Kanji," hissed his mother, but Kanji only ignored her.

"What you really need is probably just practice," he went on, nodding slowly. "Oh, and tell you what. There's this great website that you should check out. It's got al kinds of tips for super-basic beginners. You want me to write down the address for you? Hey, Ma, you got a pen?"

**Meanwhile, down by the riverbank…**

Akihiko, Ken, and Koromaru were out for a run. Ken seemed to be having a hard time keeping up.

"Hey, Akihiko-san," called Ken, panting and doing his best to catch his breath. "Please, slow down! Um…my legs are a lot shorter than yours!"

"What?" Akihiko laughed, but he did stop and wait for Ken to catch up. "Seriosusly, Ken? That argument won't work. Koromaru's smaller than both of us, and he's keeping up just fine."

"Yeah, but…he's a dog," insisted Ken.

"So? What's your point?" Akihiko shrugged. "Looks like he's in much better shape than you are. Even at your age, it's important to stay healthy. We're all getting flabby, now that we're not training in Tartarus anymore."

"I'm not flabby," protested Ken, taking a deep breath, steeling himself, and then starting to run again. "I'm on the soccer team at school, and everyone says that I'm a great goalie."

Koromaru barked exuberantly, and then bounded forward to catch up with him.

"You're a goalie?" Akihiko looked impressed." Hey, how come I didn't know that? That's impressive, Ken. All the more reason to stay fit, though. You need to keep on your game, don't you?"

Ken and Koromaru both stopped suddenly.

"Look," announced Ken. "Someone's coming. Over there!"

As Akihiko watched, two women in jogging clothes came running down the riverbank. One was a brunette in a green striped track-jacket, and the other was a girl with short-dark hair in a blue top. The dark-haired girl looked even more out of breath than Ken did.

"Please," she begged haltingly, her eyes wide as she struggled to keep pace with her friend." Chie-senpai…I'm sorry, but I don't think I can take anymore. My legs feel as though they're about to collapse."

"Aw, come on, Naoto-kun," called the brunette over her shoulder. "You can do better than that! Just believe in yourself!"

"I…believe that I know my own limits well enough," insisted Naoto, halting in her tracks and taking several deep, unsteady breaths. "I'm afraid that I wasn't designed for this sort of strenuous physical activity. Please..I beg of you. Just a short break?"

Chie shook her head, but then fell back to let Naoto catch her breath.

"Aw, it's okay," she insisted encouragingly. "Practice makes perfect, right? We should go running together more often! Before you know it, you'll be a lean, mean running machine! Yeah!"

Chie pumped one fist excitedly into the air.

Naoto, however, didn't seem to be paying attention. Instead, she'd apparently noticed Akihiko, Ken and Koromaru.

"Excuse me," she murmured, nodding politely. "We didn't meant o intrude on your jog."

"Oh, uh, no," began Ken. "It's okay! I…think I kinda know how you feel."

"Indeed?" Naoto gave him a quick smile. "That's gratifying. I suppose that we all have our various strengths. Some of us have great athletic prowess, while others are more intellectually inclined."

"Huh?" Chie frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ken nodded enthusiastically. "Right? That's what I say!"

Chie opened her mouth to protest, but then stopped and peered closely at Akihiko's face.

"Wait," she said slowly, "um…hey, do I know you guys from somewhere? You don't live around here, do you?"

"N-no," muttered Akihiko. "We're from the island, actually. But…yeah. It's weird, but you do look kinda familiar. Do you ever go to boxing matches?"

"Boxing? I wish!" Chie shook her head. "Sounds like fun, though! Why, you think I'd be any good at it?"

Naoto was now frowning at each of them in turn. "Yes," she mused. "You do seem quite uncannily familiar. However, the explanation is a relatively obvious one. We've recently been on a school trip to Tatsumi Port Island. No doubt we encountered you, at least in passing, while we were there."

_Is that really it? _Akihiko wasn't so sure. _I guess that makes sense, but…it feels like I know you better than that. Just a chance passing glimpse in a busy city wouldn't make this kind of an impression, right?_

"Oh, well." Chie just shrugged. "Maybe we're soulmates, or something."

Naoto turned to gape at her. "Wh-what kind of a nonsensical thing to say is that?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Chie looked a little embarrassed. "You know me, haha…I just say whatever pops into my head! Oh, hey, you guys are out jogging too, right? You wanna come with us? We're gonna do a loop around the playground, next."

"Oh…really? Are you sure it's okay?" Ken glanced conscientiously at Akihiko. "What do you think, senpai?"

Koromaru barked enthusiastically, and ran over to lick at Chie's legs.

"Eek!" Chie laughed. "Hey, stop! That tickles! Agh!"

Akihiko just shrugged. "Sure, why not? Having some new training buddies might actually be fun."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note:**

Can't…keep…writing. So cold…So much headache…

*dies*


	36. A Friend in Darkness - Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **I'm going to start throwing Persona Q spoilers in here, and references to that game. Honestly, there's not too much plot to spoil, but I felt that it was only fair to warn you.

So, to be more direct, **SPOILER ALERT** for Persona Q in this and upcoming chapters.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

"Hey," asked Minako, as she and Shinjiro strolled hand-in-hand through the streets of Inaba. "Are you hungry?"

"A little," replied Shinjiro, shrugging. "Can't say I've seen anything that looks appealing yet, though. I'm not really a tofu kind of guy…although ganmodoki can be all right, if you don't overdo it. Those weird steak things on skewers didn't look that great, either."

Minako laughed. "You might be too picky for this town," she told him. "Still, we haven't tried the big local supermarket yet, have we? It looked like they had some kind of outdoor café. Want to try there?"

Shinjiro frowned. "Outdoor café? Ugh, it's probably all just fast food and grease. Still…I guess the selection'll probably be better than what we've seen so far. All right, let's give it a shot."

They turned around and headed back in the direction of the big department store, which turned out to be called "Junes."

"Weird name," remarked Shinjiro as they grabbed a couple of menus and found two plastic chairs in the food court. "Sounds English."

Minako shrugged. "Maybe the store's founder was American," she suggested.

"Maybe," agreed Shinjiro noncommittally, casting a jaundiced eye over the menu that was lying on the table in front of him. "Yep, I was right…mostly fast food. Oh well. I'm pretty hungry…I guess the grilled steak can't be that bad."

Minako took a moment to look over the menu, and eventually decided to go for the classic rice bowl.

"Not a bad choice," muttered Shinjiro when she told him. "You can't go wrong with the basics, and it's plenty of food. Plenty of protein, too."

"You sound like Akihiko," she teased him.

"Yeah," sighed Shinjiro. "Don't you dare tell him that happened. Let's just…erase that from history, all right?"

_I wonder, _thought Minako, _if someone is going to come to take our order, or if we need to go into the store to order our food. Hmm…I don't see any waiters, so I guess we probably have to go inside. _

"I told Aki not to go out running today," Shinjiro was muttering, probably more to himself than to Minako. "Whether he wants to admit it or not, he's in no condition to keep workout out and straining himself all the damn time. Idiot probably didn't listen to me. He's gonna wear himself down till there's nothing left but that overconfident attitude of his."

He scowled and sounded annoyed, but Minako thought she understood. Reaching across the table, she covered his hand with hers.

"You worry too much," she told him.

"Nah," retorted Shinjiro. "It's not that I'm worried. It's just…"

He trailed off, then shrugged, shook his head, and turned back to give Minako his full attention.

"You," he said abruptly. "How are you feeling?"

Minako cleared her throat, and put on her sunniest, most carefree smile.

"I'm fine," she told him. "No need to start worrying about me."

Shinjiro raised an eyebrow at her. "You're lying," he accused.

"Ask Junpei," retorted Minako. "He was up with me telling spooky stories all night. He'll testify to the fact that I have been right as rain all day and night. I even think my cough is gone."

Shinjiro opened his mouth to argue, then frowned, shut it again, and looked suddenly awkward and uncomfortable.

"Uh…hey," he mumbled. "So…last night, you and Junpei-!"

"Don't you even start," interrupted Minako, cutting him off. "You know the answer to that question already, so you don't even need to ask."

"Right." Shinjiro looked just a little bit relieved. "Sorry. I, uh...nah. Nevermind. Doesn't matter."

Minako smiled at him, and Shinjiro just shook his head and started to laugh a little under his breath.

"You," he began. "You're just-!"

"Awwww!" From behind them, a shrill voice suddenly cut through their magical moment. "Young love! You guys look so cute together. It's a shame, because I was just getting ready to make my move on that pretty lady, but…looks to me like I wouldn't have any luck. Oh, well!"

Minako and Shinjiro both turned around in surprise to see the weirdest possible thing bearing down on them. It was a…person, maybe, wearing a chubby red and blue bear suit.

"What the hell…?" Shinjiro's mouth fell open in surprise.

The bear waddled over and stood next to their table.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he said grandly. "My name is Teddie! I'm the Junes mascot and idol on the up-and-up! And, pretty lady, who might YOU be?"

His eyes twinkled as he gazed deeply into Minako's startled face.

"Um," began Minako, taken aback but doing her best to stay polite. "Me? Oh, my name is-!"

"Heeeey, Teddie!" From across the food court, a shaggy-haired young man in an orange apron came running over in their direction. "What are you doing? Stop harassing the customers and get back to work!"

"Aw, but, Yosuke," whined Teddie in protest. "I was just making conversation with this beautiful girl! Miss," he added, turning quickly back to Minako, "is it just me, or have we met before, somewhere? I can't help but feel like maybe it's fate! Maybe fate has brought us together this way! Yes, that must be it! We were meant to be!"

"Uh…h-hey," began Shinjiro, obviously not sure if it was worth getting defensive or not.

"Jeez," sighed the young man named Yosuke as he reached their table. "Sir, Ma'am, I'm really sorry about this. Sometimes we lose control of him, and then…wait, huh?"

Abruptly, Yosuke trailed off, still gazing into Minako's eyes. Yosuke himself had brown, unexpectedly intelligent eyes. Minako felt drawn to those eyes, and she was positive that this wasn't the first time she'd seen them.

_He reminds me of someone I know, _she thought, _or…no, that's not exactly it. I think I DO know him. Actually, I'm sure of it, but that doesn't make sense. Is he someone from a long time ago? Maybe he's from my home town? Maybe that's where I've seen him before. Actually, it feels more important than that…deeper, somehow._

"It's you," said Yosuke, staring.

"Um…yes," agreed Minako. "It's me. And you're…I mean, I know you, don't I?"

"Y-yeah." Yosuke nodded." Definitely. I feel like…like it's been a long time, but we've definitely met before. Where are you from?"

"Iwatodai," replied Minako.

Yosuke shook his head. "Nah," he muttered. "That's not it. I mean, I've been there, but…it's more than that. Like, I haven't just seen you. I KNOW you. It's like…"

"Yeah," agreed Minako. "I know what you mean."

"It's like," repeated Yosuke slowly, "we're destined partners, or something."

Minako nodded. "Yes," she said. "I think so, too."

"Wha…?" Shinjiro's eyes went wide, and he suddenly got up from the table. "What the hell are you two talking about? 'Destined partners?' What's that supposed to mean? Who is this guy?"

Suddenly the spell was broken , and Minako blinked. Yosuke looked abruptly and extremely uncomfortable, and they both dropped their eyes away from one another.

"Whoa," muttered Yosuke, turning red. "What AM I talking about? Uh, s-sorry. Not sure what got into me. Maybe it's the weird weather."

"Awww, Yosuke." Teddie planted his pudgy hands on his hips and looked annoyed. "I'm not allowed to 'annoy the customers,' but you get to start proposing to them? That's not fair!"

"Proposing? What are you…no, it's not like that! That's…that's not what I meant at all!" Yosuke turned white, and backed abruptly away from Minako, shaking his head and holding both hands out in front of him in protest.

"No, it's okay," insisted Minako. "I know. I get it."

"You do?" Yosuke bit his lip. Oh…uh, that's good. I, uh…wish I did."

For a long moment, the four of them sat and stood there in increasingly awkward silence.

"Forget it," muttered Shinjiro suddenly, turning away from the table. "I'm out of here."

"Huh? Wait, Shinji!" Minako hurried to catch up with him as he started towards the gate. "Where are you going? I thought you were hungry!"

"Not anymore," snarled Shinjiro. "This place is giving the creeps. Are you coming, or not?"

"Shinji," began Minako placatingly, putting her hand on Shinjiro's arm. He shook her off at first, but then turned to look at her, and must have been softened by the hurt look on her face, because he sighed, shrugged, and then reached out and took her hand again. Reluctantly, he let Minako lead him back to the table.

Yosuke and Teddie had already retreated to another table a short distance away. Minako was sure she could feel their eyes on her as she hid her face behind the menu, her mind racing as she tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"We should go inside and order our food," she said around her thoughts.

Shinjiro just grunted his assent.

Minako got up to go into the store, and found that several people had just come in through the gate and were now heading in a big group over to Yosuke and Teddie's table.

Two girls, one with a dark, almost masculine haircut and the other in a a green striped track jacket were walking side by side with Ken, Akihiko and an exuberant-looking Koromaru, chatting enthusiastically as they strolled through the food court.

"Huh?" Shinjiro frowned. "So, looks like he did go out for a run after all. Figures…"

Moments later, Yukari, Mitsuru and Fuuka showed up, escorted by a buff young man with dark hair and glasses. They were also deeply involved in conversation, and the young man was gesturing emphatically with both hands, weaving one in and out of the other as he demonstrated some sort of complicated pattern in the air.

"Looks like the gang's all here," noted Shinjiro.

"No," returned Minako, "not everybody. Junpei and Aigis aren't here."

The group converged on Yosuke and Teddie's table, clustering around them.

"Hey, Yosuke!" The girl in the green track jacket frowned. "What's up? You look kinda weird."

"Huh? Oh, uh…" Yosuke ran a nervous hand through his hair. "It's nothing. What are you guys all doing here? Oh, you brought some friends. That's cool."

He sounded rattled.

"A-anyway," he went on, not quite looking anyone in the eye. "Are you hungry? You want some menus? Hey, Teddie, go grab some more menus. We've got a crowd."

"Oki-doki!" Dutifully, Teddie turned on his heel and took a few steps towards the store. Then he stopped suddenly, turned back around, and narrowed his eyes at Yosuke.

"Waaaaait a second," he said." You're just trying to get me out of the way, aren't you? You don't want me to have a chance to introduce myself to those three beautiful spring goddesses, right? That's so rude!"

Without waiting for Yosuke to respond, he bounced over to Yukari, Mitsuru, and Fuuka.

"Helloooo there," he gushed, twinkling earnestly at them. "My name's Teddie! Welcome to Junes! You've made this boring little food court so beary much more beautiful! What are your names, ladies?"

"Whoa," whispered Yukari, startled. "What's he wearing? Is that supposed to be a bear costume?"

"Strange," murmured Mitsuru." This bizarre costume…I feel that I've seen it before."

"Ugh, yeah," agreed Yukari. "Then again, it kind of stands out. It's the sort of thing you can't really forget, no matter how hard you try."

Teddie looked crushed. "Aw, that's…that's so mean," he mumbled, his eyes suddenly brimming with tears.

"Yukari-chan," hissed Fuuka. "Look, you hurt his feelings!"

"I…wouldn't worry too much about his feelings if I were you," sighed Yosuke. "Anyway, Naoto! I got that thing you wanted."

"You did?" The dark-haired girl looked suddenly very interested. "That's excellent. May I see it?"

"Uh, here? Are you sure?" The girl in the green track jacket frowned. "Isn't that kind of risky?"

"Not if we're calm and discreet about it," retorted the dark-haired girl, apparently named Naoto. "Please, let's not draw unnecessary attention to ourselves. Yosuke-senpai?"

"Here." Yosuke reached into the pocket of his apron, and pulled out what looked to Minako like a small clear medicine bottle.

Naoto eagerly accepted it, then balanced the bottle in her hand thoughtfully for a moment before prying off the lid and gently shaking some of the contents onto the table. Akihiko shifted position, and Minako caught a glimpse of a few large black pills lying on the white plastic tabletop..

Shinjiro sucked in a sharp breath. "The hell…?"

He stood up so quickly that the table rocked.

"Shinji?" Minako blinked. "What's wrong? What are you-?"

"Hey!" Shoving unceremoniously through the throng of people around the table, Shinjiro faced Yosuke. "Where'd you get this?"

"H-huh?" Yosuke looked alarmed, and backed instantly away from Shinjiro. "Wh-what do you mean?"

The dark-haired boy with the glasses pushed in front of Yosuke and faced Shinjiro head-on.

"Who's asking?" He glared, and clenched both of his fists. "What the hell's your problem, man? This is none of your business, so get lost. Got it?"

"Kanji," whispered the girl in the green jacket. "Not so loud!"

"Tch." Ignoring the menacing boy named Kanji, Shinjiro reached out and grabbed one of the pills off the table.

"H-hey, stop!" The girl in the green jacket tried to grab it out of his hand, but he ignored her and easily stepped aside.

"Shinji, what are you doing?" Akihiko strode over to Shinjiro's side. "What's this all about?"

Shinjiro turned on Akihiko, waving the black pill in front of his face. "Do you know what this is?"

Frowning, Akihiko peered at the pill for a moment. His mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Wait," he said. "Don't tell me…"

"Yeah," agreed Shinjiro grimly. "It's one of those damn suppressants. I'd recognize this shit anywhere, trust me."

"No kidding." Akihiko's face changed, and he was suddenly extremely serious.

"Okay," he said, turning on Naoto. "So…where DID you get this? Come on, answer the question."

"Wait," asked Chie, "hang on! What do you mean by 'suppressants? You know about this stuff, too? I thought it still wasn't popular outside of Inaba!"

"Please," said Naoto quietly, "give it back. We need this article for a very important experiment. We can't allow the specimen to be tampered with or damaged."

"I ain't giving this back," retorted Shinjiro. "Do you have any idea what you're working with, here? Experiment? You don't want to start messing with this stuff. It's bad news."

One by one, every person around the table began contributing his or her own voice to the argument, until the entire table had erupted into a chaotic shouting match. People on all sides were now staring at the little group, and Minako realized that things had gotten far out of hand.

"Hey," she announced, getting up from her seat.

Before she'd had a chance to say anything more, however, another young man came running over to the table from the gate. He was a tall man with silver-hair, and Minako recognized him as soon a she saw him.

_It's him, _she thought excitedly. _He's the man from the Velvet Room…Yu Narukami. _

"Hey, guys," he called. "What's going on, here?"

"Oh, Sensei!" Teddie rushed over to his side, looking infinitely relieved. "I'm so glad you're here! Everybody's fighting!"

"Fighting?" Yu shook his head. "Why? What happened?"

"They're arguing about those pills," announced Minako, stepping forward and into Yu's path. "They're dangerous. We didn't expect to find them here, in Inaba."

Slowly, Yu turned around and met Minako's eyes.

"Hi," she said.

For a moment, he didn't say anything.

"Remember me?" Minako offered her hand. "You know…from the Velvet Room?"

Yu reached out and took Minako's hand, clasping it firmly. Again, there was that strange but not unpleasant feeling of belonging.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I remember you. Minako, right?"

"Right," agreed Minako. "And you're Yu. Yu Narukami."

Teddie just looked back and forth between them, obviously confused.

"Hey," he called. "Sensei…what's going on here?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **I've got a long weekend ahead of me. I'm working until four AM tonight andtomorrow night. I'll try to update again tomorrow, but I'm afraid I can't make any promises. Hopefully I'll at least be able to update by Monday!

Enjoy your weekend, all.


	37. A Friend in Darkness - Chapter Four

**Author's Note: **After trying to play Q for a few days, I've completely stopped enjoying persona. I have to remind myself that I actually LIKE these characters.

Don't worry. I'm sure this, too, will pass. Just gotta go back and play the other persona games for a bit, and thus I'll re-motivate.

Updates are, however, going to be in frequent for the next few months. I've just been awarded the lead role in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It's with a tiny company that no one has ever heard of, but at the same time it's likely to be the most significant dramatic role that I will ever play. I'm going to be putting as much time and work as possible into this until April, so please forgive me if I'm a little hard to reach in the meantime.

Thank you very much for understanding.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

A few minutes later, Yosuke and Teddie had pulled several tables together, so that Minako and her friends could join Yu and his friends around a larger, combined table in the Junes food court.

"I suppose it goes without saying then," Mitsuru was saying to Naoto as she sipped at a cup of Junes coffee, "that you and your friends are persona users. Your leader and our leader have met in the Velvet Room. That would not have been possible if he, at least, was not able to use a persona."

Naoto nodded. "That's correct. Yu-senpai told us about his encounter with your leader. I must admit to some surprise, however. Although of course we were aware of Arisato-san's existence, it had not occurred to any of us, I think that there might be so many more of you. Until recently, we, perhaps rather arrogantly, believed that we were the only ones who were capable of using personas."

Mitsuru shook her head. "It isn't arrogance…or, if it is, I'm afraid that we're just as guilty. We, too, once believed that we were the only persona users. I did hear some rumor, earlier this year, of a strange series of incidents in the town of Inaba, and of a strange story told by a murder suspect. I'd intended to look into the matter, but ultimately events transpired in such a way that I no longer had the attention to spare."

"Wait," muttered Kanji, speaking up for the first time in a while. "Uh, so…you think that's it? I mean…we're all persona users, right? You think that's where the weird feeling comes from?"

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow.

"Kanji-kun refers to the strange sensation that we've all been experience since you arrived," added Naoto. "The uncanny feeling of familiarity, and the idea that we must have met before somewhere. Is it possible that that feeling stems from our shared powers? Perhaps there is a sort of unspoken current of connection running between all of those who share the same gift."

A few of the others around the table began to murmur in agreement, but Yosuke shook his head.

"Nah," he said, glancing at Minako out of the corner of his eye. "It's a good idea, but…somehow, I just don't think that's it."

Minako frowned, seated next to Yu at the head of the table.

_Yeah, _she thought. _I think Yosuke's right. There's something more to it than that, for sure._

Naoto just shrugged. "Perhaps we'd better leave that question for the moment," she suggested. "Instead, I think we should return our attention to the matter of Black Butterfly."

Again, she overturned the bottle of little black pills onto the table.

Shinjiro blinked. "The matter of…wha? What the hell's a Black Butterfly?"

"Black Butterfly," clarified Naoto, "is the colloquial or 'street' name used to refer to this drug. I take it that they use some other name where you come from?"

"Doesn't have a name," muttered Shinjiro, shaking his head.

"Black Butterfly, huh?" Yukari shuddered. "That sounds creepy. Wait…are you saying people are selling it on the street? Why would someone do something like that?"

Shinjiro snorted a derisive little laugh. "Seriously," he mumbled, "how do you think I got my hands on it? It's not that weird."

"In Inaba," began Naoto, "Black Butterfly is a being sold as a relatively new street drug,particularly popular amongst students at the local high school. I have never sampled it myself, but as I understand it is purported to have a calming effect on the soul, and is meant to suppress stronger and more violent emotions in order to focus the mind and relax the body. That is, at least, how it is being advertised."

"Holy crap," whispered Ken. "That's…that's not how it works at all!"

Shinjiro shifted uncomfortably, and Minako reached across the table to put her hand on his. He glanced up at her, then gave her a miserable sort of half-smile and pulled his hand away again.

"Where we come from," Mitsuru was saying, "this drug you refer to as 'Black Butterfly' has one sole purpose. It is used by struggling persona users who are having trouble controlling the violence in their souls. Rather than allow a persona to run rampant and take innocent lives, people use this substance to suppress the persona and to quell their inner passions."

"Wait, h-hang on just a second!" Chie's eyes had gone wide. "Wh-what do you mean, 'violence?' You mean personas just attack people? That…can that really happen?"

Beside Minako, Yu muttered something darkly under his breath.

"We've all seen it," he mumbled, although Minako was pretty sure that no one else heard him. "Power can be too much for some people. Some people can't control themselves well enough to wield a persona…and other people end up getting hurt."

"Yu-kun," began Minako, "who-?"

She never, however, had a chance to finish the thought. The others went right on with their discussion.

"Look," muttered Kanji. "This is rude, but I gotta ask; you guys aren't taking this stuff, right? I mean…how else would you know how it works?"

"Kanji," hissed Chie, looking shocked. "What kind of a question is that?"

"Hey, we're all thinking it,' retorted Kanji defensively, glancing over at Yu and Yosuke for some kind of affirmation. "I just wanna know what I'm dealing with here, that's all. Sometimes you just gotta ask tough questions."

Shinjiro was now staring fixedly at the tabletop, and Minako could see that he had both of his fists clenched hard in his lap. Akihiko shot him a nervous look, then turned to glare at Kanji, and started to get up from his seat.

_Uh oh, _thought Minako, as the warning bells began going off in her head.

Mitsuru, however, kept totally calm.

"It's a perfectly reasonable question," she assured Kanji and Chie. "No, none of us are in the habit of taking the persona suppressants. We are, however, very familiar with the cases of several individuals who have taken the suppressants for long periods of time in the past. Unfortunately, very few of those individuals survived."

"Senpai," gasped Yukari. "How can you be so calm about this? We-?"

"Shut up, Yukari," muttered Akihiko, nudging her in the ribs. "Let Misturu finish."

Naoto sighed, nodding slowly to herself. "Then, our assumptions were correct," she murmured. "This drug does have some sort of negative physical effect."

"I'm afraid it's much worse than that," returned Mitsuru. "Not only do the suppressants seriously damage the body's immune system, but they also irreparably poison the soul. The body can be treated, but of course the soul can't, as far as we know. The soul degrades over time, and eventually, inexorably, the drug taker will die, regardless of the state of the physical body."

Chie gasped. "No!"

"Shit," whispered Yosuke. "That's insane."

"It is as we feared," said Naoto. "Now, knowing what we know, it is even more imperative that we get this drug off of the streets as soon as we possibly can."

"But," began Chie desperately, "what about the people who are already taking the drug? You say they're definitely going to die? I'm pretty sure my friend from Chem class takes it. How many pills do you have to take before it's…too late? There has to be some way of reversing the effects, right? I mean…right?"

"That's why we're here," said Akihiko. "We're trying to find a cure for the effects of the drug, for some of our friends back home."

He glanced a bit shiftily at Shinjiro as he said it, but Shinjiro completely ignored him.

"A-anyway," continued Akihiko, "Mitsuru knows somebody who might be able to help. There's this famous scientist vacationing in Inaba this month, and apparently she's willing to look into a cure. She's an old friend of Mitsuru's father."

"Ah," murmured Naoto. "You must be referring to Dr. Hiromi Kita. Yes she should be arriving this week, although her stay here isn't actually recreational. She has agreed to assist the Inaba police department in determining the negative effects that 'Black Butterfly' has on the human body, for the sake of the police's campaign to get the drug off of the streets. It was for that reason that Yosuke-senpai obtained a sample of the drug. We were instructed by the local police to locate some for Dr. Kita to examine."

"Wow, really?" Yukari looked impressed. "So, then…we've all pretty much got the same goal, here."

"It really is a small world," remarked Fuuka.

Yosuke just sighed. "I got a really bad feeling about this," he said. "So, this 'Black Butterfly' stuff was originally a trick to kill persona users, right? Now it's killing people in our town, and all of a sudden a bunch of brand new persona users show up? Something's not right, here."

Koromaru barked.

"Um, I think he's saying that you guys are actually the new ones," said Ken. "Weren't we sort of here first? I mean…we got our personas before you did, so…"

"What I'm trying to say," continued Yosuke, pretty much ignoring Ken, "is I think this is all getting to be a a lot bigger than we thought. You guys remember that story Yu told us about the Velvet Room? He said Margaret and Igor told him that something big was coming. I think-!"

"Right," agreed Yu. "I think this might be it."

"Margaret and Igor told you that?" Minako was startled, and, embarrassingly, just a little bit hurt. "They never said anything like that to me."

"You came in after we'd been talking for a while," Yu told her. "Maybe they never had the chance. It's a pretty good bet, though, that this is the 'ordeal' they were telling me about."

Naoto nodded. "In that case," she said, "perhaps it would be better if we considered joining forces, for a time. Were we all to work together to combat both the spread and side effects of this new drug, we may have more success. There, is after, all, some truth to the old adage that there is strength in numbers."

"Yes," agreed Yu. "You're all a lot more familiar with the suppressants than we are, so I think it'd be valuable to have you on our side."

"You guys know this area a lot better," countered Minako. "Oh, and you're close with members of the local police, aren't you? There are a lot of things you can do and places you can go that we can't. I think working together is a fantastic idea."

She and Yu smiled at each other.

Shinjiro scowled." You sure we can trust these guys?"

Mitsuru looked thoughtful for a moment, and then nodded once. "Yes," she said quietly. "I believe we can. Perhaps this may be a foolish thing on which to base one's trust, but none of these people feel like strangers to me. Though I can't say how I know them, I must admit that at the core of my very soul, I feel that I can trust them…and perhaps that I have done so before."

"I agree," muttered Akihiko. "It's weird, but we can't deny it. We all feel it, so let's go with it."

"Uh huh," said Chie. "It's the same for all of us!"

"WOOF," agreed Koromaru enthusiastically.

As everyone around the table began to talk excitedly amongst themselves, Minako let out the long, nervous breath she'd been holding in all this time.

_Allies, huh? _She smiled to herself. _That's great. Mitsuru's right – I'm sure that Yu and Yosuke and the others are all super reliable. I don't know why I know, but I know, and that's enough for me. I'm a pretty good judge of character, most of the time, so I'm going with my gut instinct on this one. Plus, they're all healthy. Having them on our side is a huge relief, because if something goes wrong and we can't get up one morning, they'll be able to keep the investigation going without us…and that's important. After all, that could happen any day. Sometimes, it does._

For a long moment, she watched thoughtfully as the dark-haired boy named Kanji unexpectedly sidled up to Shinjiro and engaged him in what looked like one of those slightly awkward, overly masculine getting-to-know-you conversations. Neither of them seemed to be willing to make eye contact with the other one, and the whole situation would have been extremely funny if Minako's thoughts hadn't been occupied with so much dark elsewhere.

_We probably shouldn't tell about the illness, _she decided. _After all, they might not completely believe our story. If they started thinking that we were drug takers, they'd trust us less, and that'd be very damaging to a new partnership. No, we'll have to do our best not to let them know just how sick we really are. If it gets really bad, we can always just say it's the flu…or the country air that we're not used to, or something like that._

"Hey," asked Yu, breaking through Minako's train of thought. "How are you feeling, Minako?"

"What?" Minako blinked and stared at him in surprise. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"I'm sorry," said Yu politely. "I wasn't trying to pry. It's just that last time we saw each other in the Velvet Room, you looked like you were starting to get sick. Are you feeling better, now?"

Minako thought fast. "I…they say that the hot springs around here have fantastic healing powers," she mumbled quickly, plastering a big smile on her face. "I've always been kind of weak, and I catch pretty much every cold that comes through the school, so I thought I'd try out the hot springs while I'm here and see if that works any wonders."

Yu was silent for a moment. "So," he said, "then you're not feeling better."

There was something in his eyes that made Minako extremely nervous.

_He knows, _she thought. _He's really perceptive…it's like he c_a_n see right through me. That's terrifying. I wonder how his friends can stand it._

"I'm fine," she heard herself say, through and around her thoughts. "Don't worry."

Again, she smiled, and this time, Yu didn't smile back.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **I'm going to take P4Golden with me to the gym to try and refresh my love of this game. Off I go! Hopefully I can update again later!


	38. A Friend in Darkness - Chapter Five

**Author's Note: **Oof, sorry about the multi-day wait, guys. Busy busy.

Here's a chapter before I have to run off to the gym and then to rehearsal again.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

It wasn't long after that the impromptu meeting broke up. Yu, Naoto and the others said goodbye to Minako and her friends before they all started off in separate directions.

"Oh, hey," called Chie just as she was getting ready to leave. "Where are you guys staying? You have to be at the inn, right?"

"Yeah," agreed Yukari. "We're staying at the Amagi Inn. It's a really nice place."

"Of course it is." Chie grinned. "My best friend is in charge! Or, anyway, at least she will be when her mom decides to retire."

"If you don't mind," murmured Naoto, "We might come by and visit you all there tomorrow afternoon, after school. We can talk more about a plan of action at that time."

"We'd be delighted," Mitsuru nodded. "In the meantime, then…good luck."

As Yu and his friends disappeared through the Junes Gate, Fuuka turned to Minako.

"They're all so young," she said thoughtfully. "They're still in school! Doesn't it seem sort of wrong to involve them in something like this?"

"They're already involved," countered Mitsuru. "Their investigation into the effects of these drugs had commenced long before we arrived. Perhaps it was fate that brought us together after all."

"Yeah," agreed Akihiko. "And besides, we were the same age as they are now when we started our fight, remember? They're old enough."

Fuuka still didn't look totally convinced, but she let the matter drop. Yukari put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Let's go back," she suggested. "Today was fun, but I'm getting a little tired. How do guys feel about just making some ramen back at the inn, then watching a movie or something?"

"A movie?" Ken frowned. "What movie? It's not gonna be anything girly, is it? Well…I guess I'll watch."

The others began chatting idly amongst themselves about movie options for the evening.

Shinjiro shot Minako a long, searching look out of the corner of his eye.

"So," he said slowly. "'Destined partners,' huh?"

"What?" Minako blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"You said," clarified Shinjiro, pointing an accusing finger at her, "that you and that Hanamura guy were 'destined partners.'"

_Oh, _thought Minako. _Yeah, I guess I did say something like that. I just wish I knew why. I don't even know what that's supposed to mean…it just sort of slipped out. Weird._

"I gotta say," went on Shinjiro, shaking his head and grimacing, "that you are giving me some pretty damn mixed signals."

"Sorry," said Minako, and she meant it. "I didn't mean anything by it…I think. It's strange. I just feel like I know him really well…like we're destined to be close. I think that's all I was trying to say."

"Close," muttered Shinjiro. "Are there any guys around here that you aren't 'destined to be close' with?"

Minako raised an eyebrow. "Is there anything that doesn't make you jealous?"

"What do you want from me?" Shinjiro gritted his teeth. "I'm no good at this. I'm not a nice guy, and I'm no good at sharing."

"Liar," said Minako. "You're always so sweet to everyone."

"Yeah, well," he retorted, "Maybe I'm getting sick of being sweet to guys who are going after my-!" He stopped mid sentence, looking surprised at himself. "Uh…nah, nevermind. Forget it."

"Wait," asked Minako, "what? What were you going to say?"

"It's nothing," insisted Shinjiro. "I said forget it."

The closed look on Shinjiro's face told Minako that the discussion was over.

_He was going to say it, _she realized. _He almost said something like 'my girlfriend.' Come on, Shinji, do you really think I'd have a problem with that? Why won't you say it out loud? _

She opened her mouth to insist, but unfortunately she never had a chance to finish the sentence. Instead, she was distracted by the sound of hurried footsteps on the pavement behind them, and the sound of the Junes gate being thrown creakily open.

"Oh, Kirijo-san!" Yukiko Amagi appeared around the corner, looking flushed and extremely worried. There was another girl with her, too; a pretty red-haired girl that Minako recognized from some old TV commercials.

_Wow, _thought Minako, impressed. _That's Rise Kujikawa, isn't it? Where's Junpei? He should be here. He'll be super disappointed that the missed out on seeing her in person. I think I knew that she lived in Inaba, actually…I saw it on the news the other day. But, wait, what's wrong with Miss Amagi?_

"What is it?" Mitsuru was instantly at Yukiko's side. "Has something happened?"

Yukiko nodded. "Uh…uh huh. Yes. I'm afraid so. It's your friend, Iori-san. He and Miss Aigis returned to the inn a few minutes ago, but he doesn't seem to be feeling well at all. I…I'm sure it's nothing serious, but-!"

"He passed out on the sidewalk outside my family's tofu-shop," said Rise. "I was worried, but when he came to, he said he didn't want to go to the hospital. Aigis-san and I walked him back to the inn together, but he's looking a lot worse than he did before. I think you guys had better come back…I mean he's not alone or anything, cause Aigis-san's with him, but-!"

"Let's go," said Akihiko, cutting Rise off. "Mitsuru, do you have any of those painkillers left?"

"Of course." Mitsuru nodded once, then turned back to Yukiko. "We'll come immediately. Thank you both for taking the time to come and notify us. Let's be off."

Without another word, they all left the food court and started back down the road towards the Amagi Inn.

Minako's heart felt like lead.

_Junpei passed out? _She shook her head, trying not to let the worry show too plainly on her face. _I didn't realize he was so sick. Last night he looked just fine! This came on so suddenly…but, it does seem to happen that way. Some days all we have is a light cough and a little muscle weakness, and then all of a sudden there's an attack of terrible illness. I'm so glad he wasn't alone…but, is Aigis all right? Amagi-san didn't say anything about her. _

"Um," began Yukiko, perhaps just to break the awkward silence between them all, "you have medicine? Painkillers? Does…does this sort of thing happen often, then? Oh, does Iori-san have a condition of some kind? It would be important for the management to know about that sort of thing, only so that we can be sure to provide as much help as possible."

"No," said Mitsuru quietly, shaking her head. "This isn't common. However, I do make a point of carrying some pain medication on me at all times. You never know when something might happen, especially when traveling, as we are. It always pays to be prepared. The weather has been unusual lately, and we've made a change from city to country, which can be troublesome for the nerves. Also, it's the right time of year for this sort of thing. Spring colds can be very trying."

Minako winced. She wasn't sure she could stand hearing one more person saying glibly that "spring colds are very trying."

_I hate the fact that she can stay so calm, _thought Minako. _I mean…I know that she has to. I know that she's doing it for all of us, but…no, I need to relax. Keep it together, Minako. Freaking out isn't going to help Junpei, or anybody else. We're going to have to get used to this. Then again, I suppose you never really get used to dying. _

"Hey," said Shinjiro.

He reached out and gave her a quick, comforting little squeeze on the shoulder.

There really weren't any reassuring words that he could have said and meant, but Minako didn't need him to say anything. She was just glad that he was there.

_You're all here, _she thought. _I don't want to lose any of you. Promise you'll stay with me…until the very end. I'm not ready for it to be over, yet. _

**Some short time later, at the Amagi Inn…**

Aigis was waiting for them at the top of the second-floor stairwell.

"Welcome back," she said. "I'm sorry to have cut short your vacation day in Inaba."

"Don't be ridiculous, Aigis," said Yukari. "Of course we came back. Where's Junpei?"

Aigis gestured at the door to Junpei and Minako's room." He is resting at the moment," she said. "Have no fear – his condition appears to be stable. Vital signs persist. At this time, I feel that we should not allow ourselves to become too anxious. Junpei-kun will recover…for now."

"For now," whispered Yukari, shaking her head." Yeah. Yeah, that's…that's good, I guess."

"This is so hard," murmured Fuuka. "I don't think we'll ever get used to it."

"Wait, what?" Rise shot a startled look at Yukiko. "'For now?' What's that supposed to mean?"

"I thank you very much for your concern," said Mitsuru smoothly. "And, of course, we're all very sorry to have troubled you, Amagi-san. It will be best, I think, for us to let Iori rest, for the moment. Minako, would you please take him some of the painkillers, and ask if there is anything else that he might require?"

Mitsuru passed Minako a bottle of pain pills, and gave her a significant look.

"Yeah," agreed Minako, eager for the chance to look in on him. "Sure, I'll be back in a sec. Nobody panic; Junpei's a fighter!"

She gave them all one of her trademark confident smiles, but her insides were still churning, and she didn't feel bright and peppy at all. Hurriedly, she threw open the door to her room and stepped inside, carefully closing it behind her.

Junpei was lying on his back on the bed, with his eyes open. His face was pale and wan, and Minako could see that he was shaking all over, shivering and sweating at the same time. When he heard the door creak open, he turned and saw her, and he tried to give her a smile that ended up looking a lot more like a wincing grimace.

"Oh, hey, Mina-tan," he croaked. "Sorry…guess I ended up spoiling the fun, huh? Thanks for coming to check on me. After all, what's the point of getting sick if you can't have a smoking hot nurse?"

He winked, then started coughing. The coughing fit went on for some time, and it sounded painful. He held his hand to his mouth as he coughed, trying apparently to protect Minako from the mess he was making. When he brought his hand away again, however, Minako could see that it was spattered with blood.

Her own blood ran cold for a second. _Oh god, _she thought. _He's coughing blood? That's bad. Has it ever happened before? Maybe I should get Shinji._

"Ugh," rasped Junpei, giving his own hand a disgusted look. "Nasty. Sorry…"

"Stop apologizing," insisted Minako, seating herself on the edge of the bed. "Here. Mitsuru-senpai gave me some of those pain pills."

"Damn," muttered Junpei, "am I glad to see those."

Shaking four pills out of the bottle, he immediately swallowed them without even waiting for a glass of water.

"That's a lot of pills," Minako admonished." You're supposed to take two."

"Everything feels like it's on fire," he told her. "I hurt everywhere. My throat…gah."

Again, he began coughing, turning his head away from Minako as he did so.

"You should go," he said eventually, when he managed to get his breath back." Seriously, I'm a mess."

"I'm not going anywhere," Minako retorted. "Do you want some water?"

Junpei looked for a moment like he might argue, but then sighed, shrugged, and fell back on the bed again.

"Yeah," he said." Yeah…that'd be cool. Thanks."

Minako hurried into the adjoining bathroom to fill up a large cup of cold water.

When she got back, she found him sitting up on the edge of the bed, still shaking, but obviously trying to force himself to keep it together. Minako handed him the water glass, and he took several long gulping sips, closing his eyes and enjoying the cooling sensation as the water ran down his raw and bleeding throat.

Eventually, he finished the cup and set it down on the bedside table.

"You know," he told Minako, again making efforts at a rueful smile, "I probably should have expected this. After all, it's just like that Theodore guy said. He told us that how long we'd live depended on 'the strength of our souls,' or something. Just makes sense that I'd be the first to go."

"Don't you dare say anything like that," said Minako hotly. "You're not 'going.' You're just sick. You're going to get better…just like we always do."

"Maybe," agreed Junpei, shrugging, "but one of us is gonna end up kicking the bucket first. I figure it'll be me. After all, I'm pretty much the poster boy for 'lazy, immature twenty-something.' I'm not that strong. If you look at it that way, my soul's probably the weakest of the bunch."

"That's bullshit," said Yukari's voice from the doorway. Minako turned around in surprise to find that Yukari and Fuuka were both standing there, watching them. "Sure," she went on. "I'll admit, you've got your Stupei moments, but you aren't weak."

"You might be stronger than all of us," agreed Fuuka quietly. "After all, Junpei-kun, you didn't even get scared when we all found out that our souls had been poisoned."

"The hell I wasn't," muttered Junpei, shaking his head. "I'm still scared as shit. Just doesn't seem any point in freaking out about it. I mean…I knew. I knew it wasn't gonna be easy. There had to be a catch. Can't say I was that surprised when we found out what the catch was, you know?"

"I think you're very brave," murmured Fuuka.

"Yeah," agreed Yukari. "I do, too. So don't start chickening out on us and talking about how you're going to die first, okay? We're not letting you off that easily!"

She forced a grin, and Fuuka nodded encouragingly.

Minako felt the lump beginning to form in the back of her throat, and the tears started to push forward behind her eyes. She felt like screaming, but somehow couldn't bring herself to move. She knew that there was something reassuring here that she needed to say, that everyone expected her to say, but she was afraid to open her mouth in case all of the fear and panic came spilling out all at once.

"You should rest, Junpei-kun," Fuuka was saying, crossing behind Minako to help Junpei settle himself back against the pillows.

"Good idea," agreed Yukari. "We'll all stick around for a bit, though…just to make sure that you're actually resting. We've got our eyes on you, Junpei."

Junpei made a face, but he did finally close his eyes and relax a little bit. The coughing spasms seemed to have subsided, for the most part, and he looked relieved, at least, even if the color hadn't yet returned to his face.

For some time after that, Minako, Fuuka and Yukari all sat together on the edge of the bed, listening to the sounds of Junpei's unsteady breathing.

"It's okay," said Yukari finally, once they were all reasonably certain that Junpei was asleep and couldn't hear. "Minako…you don't have to pretend. I get it."

She gripped Minako's hand, and Fuuka held the other in both of her own.

Sitting between her two friends, sticking together with her second-year girls, Minako's shoulders shook as she cried like a desperate, frightened child. No one said a word for a long time.

**Fin.**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **I had to write that one twice...and I'm at least a little happier with the way it came out the second time.

Okay, back to work.


	39. The Road to Truth

**Author's Note: **Here's a one-shot story as I try to get back into writing again. I've got a lot of work to do and a lot of stories to catch up on. Let's see how this goes.

* * *

**Seventh Story: **

**The Road to Truth**

_There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting._

-Buddha

* * *

The next morning, Junpei seemed to be doing a little bit better. While he and Yukari argued in the bedroom about whether or he should get up and walk around, Minako snuck out to the nearby Junes to pick up some things for them all to eat.

Once she'd stocked up on fruits, vegetables, ramen, protein bars and toaster pastries, she made her way over to the counter where she found Yosuke and Yu having a heated discussion against the backdrop of a few hundred boxes of cabbage.

"No way man," Yosuke was saying, shaking his head emphatically. "You just can't mess with the classics. Even if the updated graphics are out of this world, I don't think I'm gonna play it. What if it sucks? I'll feel like a piece of my childhood's been ripped away. It's not worth the trauma risk."

Yu shrugged. "I don't know. They've been promising us a remake of Famous Fantasy 7.2 for almost nine years, now. If they've really been working on it all that time, it might be good."

"I'm just hoping they're going to update the battle system, too," interjected Minako, dumping her purchases down on the counter. "Turn-based is really old school. It's fun, but it's too easy. I like a good challenge when I'm gaming."

Yu and Yosuke both turned to look at her in surprise.

"Oh, uh, hey!" Yosuke gave her a little wave, and then started ringing her up on the cash register. "Yeah," he agreed, "I know what you're saying…but the nice thing about turn-based battle is that I can actually play while I'm behind the cash register. If I have to put the game down for a second to deal with a customer, it's no big deal as long as it's not the enemy's turn. That's kind of nice."

"You sound like Junpei." Minako laughed. "He used to try and play it under the table in class, and when the teacher would ask him a question he'd just…"

She trailed off, remembering that Junpei was lying in bed at the Amagi Inn with a trashcan full of bloodstained tissues next to the bed.

"Nevermind," she mumbled. "Um…thanks. Can I have two plastic bags? I have to carry it all back to the Inn."

Yu and Yosuke exchanged a quick look.

"You're going back to the Inn?" Yu frowned. "We'll help you carry it."

"I can carry it myself," retorted Minako, a little annoyed. "I just don't want the bag to break, that's all."

"We're going there anyway," said Yu. "Yosuke's shift just ended, and Yukiko asked us to come by after work today."

"She did?" Yosuke looked puzzled. Yu smiled serenely at Minako, and gave Yosuke a noticeable nudge in the ribs. Yosuke winced, coughed, and then nodded. "Oh, y-yeah," he said. "Yeah, sure, she did! I uh, totally forgot."

"So," finished Yu, "we might as well go together."

Minako raised an eyebrow at them.

"You're a couple of terrible liars," she said, trying to fight down a smile.

"Uh, yeah, I know." Yosuke grinned sheepishly. "Look, we're not trying to hit on you or anything. Just…I mean, how's your friend doing? Any better?"

"If there's anything we can do to help," added Yu, "please just ask. It sounded like he was in really bad shape last night. Yukiko was very worried."

Yosuke shot him a startled look.

"Hey," hissed Yosuke. "Don't make her feel worse! Jeez."

This time, Minako really did smile. They weren't making her feel worse. If anything, their ridiculous little comedy act was making her feel a lot better.

"Junpei's going to be okay," she said reassuringly, proving herself a much better than either of them. "There probably isn't anything you can do to help, but…honestly, I don't think I'd mind the company."

"Cool." Yosuke grinned back at her. "You don't, uh, think your boyfriend'll mind?"

"My boyfriend?" Minako blinked. "Oh, I don't have…"

This time she stopped because she genuinely wasn't sure how to answer the question.

_Shinji will probably mind, _she decided. _He'll hate the fact that I'm hanging out with other guys…and you know what? I think I'm okay with that. He'll have to get used to it eventually. It's not like I'm gonna become a hermit and stop making new friends just because he's got some conflicted feelings._

"Wait," Yosuke was saying. "Are you telling me that the big hulking scary guy who kept giving me the evil death stare across two tables yesterday ISN'T your boyfriend?"

"Maybe he just wants to be," suggested Yu.

Minako snorted a laugh.

"Oh," she said. "So you noticed that?"

Yu and Yosuke both grinned back at her.

"Oh boy," said Yosuke.

"Yeah," agreed Yu. "We noticed. It was hard not to."

Gathering up her bags and refusing any help with them, Minako headed for the exit, with Yosuke and Yu in tow.

"Well, we're not exactly together," she explained. "We've got a history. It's…actually sort of complicated."

Yosuke sighed.

"Damn," he mumbled. "I was kind of hoping that after high school, relationships got LESS complicated. Guess I was wrong. Oh well!"

**Some short time later, at the Amagi Inn…**

When they got back up to their private floor at the Inn, the hallway was totally deserted. Minako found herself miserably wondering if maybe everyone else was now lying in bed in their own rooms, steadily sickening the same way that Junpei had.

"Is this stuff for him?" Yu nodded at Minako's shopping bags. "I can bring it in to him."

"What?" Minako blinked. "No, it's okay, I can do it. You don't have to-!"

"You said," Yu reminded her, "that you get sick very easily. You probably shouldn't be hanging around sick people. It's safer for you to stay out here."

Minako bit her lip.

"But," she said carefully, "that's my room, too."

"I'm sure that Yukiko can find you another room," insisted Yu. "If it's too busy and she can't, maybe one of the other girls will share with you."

"W-wait, hang on a second." Yosuke's eyes had gone wide. "You're rooming with…a guy? This Iori is a guy, right?"

Both Yu and Minako ignored him.

Yu was now staring expectantly at Minako, obviously waiting for her to respond.

_He does know, _Minako realized. _Or, at least, he knows that I've been lying. I have to play this very carefully or we're all going to have a lot of explaining to do._

"Um…well, you're right," she said, nodding at him. "It's just, I don't really want to impose on the others, or on Miss Amagi."

Yosuke shrugged. "You're all friends, right? I'm sure they won't mind putting you up for a couple of days. It'll be like a sleepover party. Girls love that stuff."

Minako thought about reacting to that vaguely sexist generalization, but decided that she had more important things to worry about.

"Okay," she agreed. "Then I'll ask in a little bit. I think everyone might still be asleep now, though. I mean…we're on vacation, so we're all taking the chance to sleep late and laze around. It'd be rude to barge in and wake them up."

She gave Yu a friendly, very slightly defiant sort of smile.

Yu opened his mouth to respond, then stopped, shut it again, and nodded.

"Sure" he agreed. "That's fair. I'll just bring the stuff in to Iori, and then maybe we can have some lunch together."

Annoyed that she wouldn't at least have a chance to check on Junpei, Minako had no choice but to let Yu take the bags and head into her hotel room.

When he was gone, she turned to Yosuke, who was now giving her a strange sort of look.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Yosuke shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. You're the one who's acting weird."

"I'm not acting weird," retorted Minako, wincing as she realized that denying it was probably only making it worse.

_I used to be better at this, _she thought miserably. _I used to be really good at playing this game! I'm just…I'm so tired. I'm really worried. I don't want to be thinking about this right now._

"Look," began Yosuke, sighing. "You don't have to fake it, okay?"

"Fake it?" Minako shook her head. "But, I'm not-!"

"He's really sick, huh?" Yosuke cut her off. "Your friend I mean. It's…isn't it pretty bad?"

Minako thought about the bloodstained tissues, and just nodded.

"Yes," she said simply, exhausted from all the lying. "Yes…it's really bad."

"Yeah." Yosuke frowned. "I thought so."

For a moment, they stood together in silence, listening to the muffled voices coming from Minako's hotel room.

"All I'm saying," Yosuke went on, "is that you don't have to pretend it's not scary. I mean, it's easy to see how freaked out you are…and it's not like anybody would blame you. You don't have to keep trying to put on a brave face for everybody else."

"Yes I do," whispered Minako, more to herself than to Yosuke at this point. "It's my job. I can't let this all fall apart. We all have to keep smiling."

"No you don't," retorted Yosuke. "Look, I used to think just like that. I figured nobody would really like me if they saw how I really felt, that I was really upset, and scared, and that I didn't always have all the answers. I thought I had to be a hero all the time, but…it's not really like that at all. They're your friends, Minako-san. They're going to love you even if you can't always be the superhero. That's what friendship is all about, right? Yu taught me that, and everybody else. We're not all alone…and we don't have to keep it all inside all the time."

Minako stared at Yosuke, frankly surprised. She hadn't expected a lecture on the philosophy of friendship to come pouring out of him, of all people. He just hadn't seemed like the philosophical type.

Yosuke must have noticed her astonishment, because he flinched and gave her a sheepish sort of smile.

"Uh, s-sorry," he mumbled nervously. "It's…actually really none of my business. Haha…I'm not totally sure why I said any of that. Just…just forget it, okay? Uh…this is awkward. Why do I keep opening my mouth?"

Minako shook her head at him.

"No, I shouldn't forget it," she said, "because you're right. I'm being stupid. Yukari even said to me last night that it was okay to be honest. I just…we need to stay positive about this. I don't want to let everybody down."

"You won't." Yosuke assured her. "I bet they don't see it that way at all."

Minako nodded.

"You and your friends are pretty close, aren't you?" She smiled at him.

Yosuke nodded. "I guess so. I guess it's because we've seen the worst about each other, so there's not much left to hide. We've been through a lot together...especially me and Yu. Man, there isn't anything I wouldn't do for that guy. He's done plenty for me already. Changed my whole life."

Minako thought about Junpei and Shinjiro, rushing into the Velvet Room without a second thought to save her life. She thought about Yukari and Fuuka the night before, holding her hands in the silence of solidarity while she sobbed and sniffled, and Junpei coughed and snored. She thought about Mitsuru and Akihiko, Ken and Aigis and Koromaru, and all of the trials they'd faced and overcome together because they'd believed in each other and in future of the world.

"I know what you mean," she said quietly. "Some people you'd give the world for."

She looked up at Yosuke again, and for a moment they stood there, just understanding one another. Again, Minako felt strongly that she'd known him somewhere before, maybe in another life, or maybe in one of the other universes that Igor had promised her existed out there somewhere.

"Man," muttered Yosuke eventually. "I'm starving."

It effectively broke the spell, and Minako laughed.

"I've got ramen," she reminded him.

"Awesome." He smiled back, looking a little relieved that they were done with the heavy stuff. "You think Yukiko'd let us use her kitchen? We'll have to ask."

**To be continued…**


	40. Tomorrow - Chapter One

**Author's Note: **I'm playing with some more character vignettes as I get back into the hang of actually writing every day.

Oh, and speaking of writing, I've been doing some original writing! If you have a moment, please do go check out my website at **www . arimoriarty . com**, or my tumblr at **ariellemoriarty . tumblr . com** to see some exciting literary updates! Of course, if your favorite story hasn't updated in a while, you can always go there to check out what's going on with me and why I'm waiting so damn long, too.

I'm going to start posting some exclusive fanfiction character vignettes on my website and on my tumblr as well; ones that you can't find on fanficition net. Please stop by to check them out!

* * *

**Eighth**** Story: Tomorrow**

_Live as if you were to die tomorrow._

-Mahatma Gandhi

* * *

**Chapter One**

Long after Yu had left with Yosuke and Minako, Junpei sat glumly in his hotel room, trying to stop sneezing while munching miserably on his solitary breakfast.

_Jeez, _he thought, swallowing the remains of a granola bar and settling back against the cool side of his pillow. _This sucks. I wonder where everybody else went. It's been pretty quiet for a while now…I hope they're all okay. Minako's probably still out playing the game of misdirection with those other guys. Hah, I wonder what Shinjiro thinks about that? Man, if he doesn't make a move pretty soon, he's gonna lose his shot. She's pretty much the greatest girl ever, and I can say that with authority, because I've seen her at her ugly, snotty, whiney worst. Not that it was really all that bad…oh, uh, except for the time when she punched me in the 'nads because I wouldn't quit making fun of Yukari's bad haircut. Actually, Shinjiro's probably used to getting punched and kicked around, so it probably wouldn't bother him. Then again, guys usually don't punch each other in the 'nads. At least Akihiko's a good enough guy to only sock him in the face. _

He swallowed another bite of granola, choked for a second, started coughing in earnest, and had to grab of the million half-used tissues littering the bed covers to cover his face.

The coughing fit lasted for a good couple of minutes. When Junpei's esophagus was finally clear and he'd finally stopped spitting up blood, he took the tissue away from his face and found that Shinjiro was unexpectedly looming over him, looking deeply concerned.

"Ack!" Junpei spluttered and dropped the tissue into the trash can by the bed, struggling to sit up. "Whoa, uh, h-hey, senpai! Where'd you come from?"

Shinjiro ignored the question.

"Hey," he asked, "you okay? I heard you coughing from outside. You want a glass of water, or something?"

Junpei threw one leg over the side of the bed.

"Uh, nah, no worries," he mumbled, wiping his mouth on the back of his sleeve. "I can get it myself."

Before Junpei had a chance to get up, however, Shinjiro reached out and shoved him none-too-gently back into the bed.

"Forget it," muttered Shinjiro. "You stay in bed. I'm on it."

Turning on his heel, Shinjiro stalked off to the bathroom, returning a few moments later with a large glass of water in one hand a pair of little white pills in the other.

"Here," he said, setting the glass of water down on the bedside table and thrusting the pills at Junpei. "You'll want to take these, too. You're probably due for another dose."

"Um…really, I'm fine," muttered Junpei halfheartedly, doing his best to be manly and stoic in the face of a slightly crippling and probably fatal illness.

"Shut up," snapped Shinjiro." "Just take them."

Junpei gave up arguing, swallowed the pills and had a long drink of water while Shinjiro stood over him, watching sternly.

"Um…thanks, man," said Junpei, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Must be a good four hours since I last had any medicine. You probably saved my hide; Minako would've been pissed if she got back and found out I'd been skipping my pain pills."

He tried to grin sympathetically at Shinjiro, but Shinjiro just averted his eyes.

"Sorry," he muttered. "You shouldn't have to be dealing with this. I'm, uh…I'm sorry."

It was, thought Junpei, the most pathetic understatement of the year.

_Aw, man, no worries, _he thought, with just a hint of bitterness. _I mean, this whole thing is only happening because you decided to chicken out of fighting and take untested persona-suppressing drugs back in your wild youth, right? No big deal. It's not like I'm gonna die or anything. Oh, wait. Yeah. Yeah, Neeeevermind. _

"Uh…nah, seriously, don't worry about it," he managed to say aloud, flashing Shinjiro an impressively realistic smile that he thought Minako would probably have been proud of. "I mean, there's a silver lining to every cloud, right?"

"Huh?" Shinjiro just blinked at him. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Uh," muttered Junpei, grasping at straws and trying not to lose his thread. "Well, I, um, bet Akihiko-san's pretty happy, for one thing."

Shinjiro just raised an eyebrow.

"No, seriously," insisted Junpei, starting to warm up a little bit to his theme. "Look at it this way. Akihiko-san's been trying to get you to start looking for a treatment for years, right? Well, now that we're all dying, you're gonna have to let them do the tests on you. It's not like you can refuse when we're all counting on you, so…I mean, I guess in a way, it's kind of a good thing!"

Shinjiro just snorted a mirthless little laugh.

"Nice try," he mumbled, "but-!"

"And then, when we've finally find a cure," Junpei went on, aware that he couldn't exactly give up now, "we'll all be able to look back on this and laugh. It'll be one of those great war stories we can all tell our kids someday. Who doesn't want to have at least one near-death experience to tell his kids about? Oh, wow, actually, no way, too far…I'm not sure I'm ready to start thinking about having kids, haha. That's…that's actually kind of a scary thought. Nope, nevermind."

He started to force a laugh, then realized just a second too late that laughing was probably going to make him start coughing again. He choked, swallowed hard, forced down the cough and then sat for a second gagging on his own suppressed responses and trying to keep the smile plastered across his face.

Not surprisingly, Shinjiro was now giving him a very strange look.

"You, uh…you've changed," muttered Shinjiro, looking like he couldn't decide whether to be impressed or disturbed. "You're not the same Iori that I knew back in school."

"Well, it's not like we knew each other that well then," mumbled Junpei. "But, yeah, I guess you're not the first person to say that to me. Everybody's been saying it lately, even Yuka-tan."

"Right." Shinjiro nodded. "I guess she does kinda have that effect on people."

For a moment, Junpei wasn't quite sure who Shinjiro was taking about.

"She?" He frowned. "Yukari? Ohh, wait, you mean Mina. Yeah, but…well, come on. Let's not give her all the credit for my miraculous metamorphosis. Maybe I just grew up and matured! Right?"

"Sure," snorted Shinjiro. This time, he almost smiled. "I guess it's possible. Unlikely, but possible."

Junpei sighed.

"Yeah, okay," he admitted. "I guess none of us walked away from high school unscathed. I mean, obviously what happened changed us all. So, now I've finally got my priorities straight. It sure took me long enough."

"Shinjiro just shrugged.

"And, hey," said Junpei, leaning forward and pointing an accusing finger at Shinjiro, "speaking of stuff taking a long time, I gotta ask you something, senpai. If Mina's so great, and I'll go ahead and agree with you that she's a pretty fine lady, then are you really gonna wait around and keep pretending that you're 'just not that into her?' Seriously? You're missing out on a golden opportunity, here. Here we are, all by ourselves in what's pretty much a private hotel on a fabulous hot springs vacation, and you're not even TRYING, senpai! What gives? If you don't want her, somebody else will, that's all I'm saying. I mean, somebody usually does, so-!"

"It doesn't matter," snapped Shinjiro, scowling again and shaking his head. "It wouldn't make any sense…especially now. Don't go sticking your nose into other people's business."

_It's not just anybody's business, _thought Junpei loyally. _Minako's romantic relationships are absolutely my business. I mean, I'd be a terrible wingman if I DIDN'T make them my business, although, uh…I get the sense that maybe Minako herself wouldn't see it that way. _

"Look, I get it," insisted Junpei. "I get why you didn't want to get involved before. You were gonna die, she was gonna cry, it was all gonna be a big tragedy. But now-!"

"Now," snarled Shinjiro, "we're both going to die…and it's all my fault. You think she'd really want to waste her time with the guy who's responsible for killing her and all of her friends?"

Junpei thought about that for a moment, then shrugged.

"Yeah," he said simply. "Yeah, actually, I'm pretty sure she would."

Shinjiro's mouth fell open in surprise, and for a second it looked as though he didn't quite know how to respond to that.

"I…it wouldn't work," he stammered eventually, running his fingers nervously through his shaggy hair and staring miserably at the floor. "It doesn't matter anymore. We're nto gonna live through this…so there's no time left for the two of us. No matter what we start know, it'll be over before we know it. No point in getting involved when we're just going to have to give it up before too long. We'll just end up hurting each other more."

Junpei thought about that for a moment, remembering the big bouquet of sunflowers that Minako had left standing on his bed one morning not too many weeks ago.

"Uh…" he muttered, shaking his head. "I don't know, senpai, but…I'm not so sure that's right."

Shinjiro just continued staring at his own feet.

"Yeah, well," he began angrily, "I-!"

"See," interrupted Junpei, "this fantastic girl we both know once told me that just because something's over doesn't mean it never should have happened. I mean…yeah, everybody's going to die someday, right? That doesn't mean we shouldn't try to make the best of what we've got, while we've got it. You gotta make tomorrow count, or something like that, uh…because I mean, it's worth being happy in the moment, isn't it?"

He trailed off, frowning to himself, and then shook his head.

_Minako says it much better than I do, _he thought ruefully. _It sounded all pretty and poetic, the way she said it. __Oh well. _

"Look, the truth is," she said quietly, dropping any pretense at bravado or smiles, "that yeah…we're all probably gonna die pretty soon. I don't know, but don't you think that means that we should stop wasting time? You gotta say whatever it is you want to say, now, because if you miss your chance to say it, you're going to regret it. Trust me…I know."

Chidori's face appeared in the back of Junpei's mind, surrounding by Minako's white hospital flowers, smiling in the carefree way she'd smiled only a few precious times before the end. His head felt fuzzy, and there were now tears pricking at the back of his eyes that he desperately did not want to shed in front of Shinjiro Aragaki, the man who scoffed in the face of pain and multiple near-death experiences.

"I'm, uh, getting a little dizzy," he mumbled, rolling over on to his stomach to avoid Shinjiro's gaze. "Maybe I'd better get some more rest after all."

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's End Note: **

Several of you have recently complained at there not being sufficient Shinjiro x Minako for the last few chapters, so I'm going to give in and give you a little ShinjiMinako story. But soon we really have to go back to the main plot. Very soon. There's stuff to do.


End file.
